Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

7 lakh farmers to get ₹6 lakh insurance cover

- Press Trust of India htraj@htlive.com

IN OTHER STATES, THE PREMIUM IS MORE THAN AND THE SUM INSURED IS LOW, MINISTER AJAY SINGH KILAK CLAIMED

Nearly seven lakh farmers who have availed crop loan through cooperativ­e banks in Rajasthan will get an insurance cover of ₹6 lakh by giving only ₹27 as yearly premium, a state minister said Saturday.

Rajasthan government has raised the insurance amount by one lakh in the present fiscal year in the “Raj Sahakar personal accident insurance scheme”, targeted to cover more than 25 lakh farmers, state cooperativ­e minister Ajay Singh Kilak said.

Last year, the insurance amount was ₹5 lakh and 23.31 lakh farmers were covered with the insurance. “Rajasthan is the first state in the country, which is providing high insurance cover in very nominal premium. We target to cover more than 25 lakh farmers with the scheme this financial year,” Kilak added.

While the farmer will give ₹27, the Rajasthan State Cooperativ­e Bank will give ₹13.50 as the premium to the insurance company.

Close to seven lakh farmers have been associated with the scheme so far in this financial year. “The cooperativ­e department is taking all decisions and steps for the welfare of farmers and to ensure that income of farmers gets doubled by the year 2022. We have ensured social security for crop loan borrowers and we are getting encouragin­g feedback from them,” he said.

In other states, the amount of premium is more than in Rajasthan and the sum insured is low, the minister claimed.

The cooperativ­e department is providing this facility to other account holders of cooperativ­e banks also on annual premium of just ₹54. There are about 40 lakh farmers in the state and close to 30 lakh of them are involved in the crop loan system.

The government has fixed a target of ₹15,000 crore for the distributi­on of interest free crop loan for farmers in the current fiscal and more than 25 lakh farmers will be covered under the insurance scheme of ₹6 lakh.

On the permanent disability of one eye, arm or leg, the insured farmer will get ₹3 lakh, permanent disability of any two limbs or on death in accident will get ₹6 lakh.

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