SEEDS AND WEEDS
As the assembly election nears, ally Shiv Sena tries to corner the BJP government on farmers’ compensation
When Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray raked up the issue of inadequate compensation to Maharashtra’s farmers under the Union government’s crop insurance scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), in June, leaders of his party knew it was a calculated step. A month later, on July 18, Thackeray was leading a 20,000-strong farmers’ march in Mumbai and warning insurance companies: “I give you 15 days. If you fail to release the compensation, there will be action from the 16th day.”
The crop insurance scheme has been a hot topic in Maharashtra over rising complaints of non-payment or inadequate relief. Resentment has been high since Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis claimed in an interview to india today in June that his government has made insurance companies pay out Rs 15,000 crore in the past five years. Under PMFBY, farmers pay 2 per cent of the insurance premium while the Union and state governments pay 49 per cent each. Farmers get compensation if agriculture
officials term them eligible after inspecting the damage to crops.
Suresh Patil, a farmer from Chandgad in Kolhapur district, complains that no compensation came his way even though he lost his crop four months ago to drought. “I check regularly, but no money has been deposited in my account,” he says. Farmers Ashok Shinde from Sangli and Deepak Patil from Satara are in a similar spot. All three were there at Thackeray’s march. At least 1,000 complaints have been filed across Maharashtra. Several of these pertain to getting teeny amounts like Rs 10-50 as compensation. In Buldhana district, 3,800 farmers were initially declared ineligible for compensation. The error was eventually rectified.
Kishor Tiwari, chairman of the Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission (VNSSM), a state initiative working to streamline farm credit, says payment of crop insurance is a critical need since banks are refusing to disburse fresh loans. Tiwari claims the state has allocated Rs 25,000 crore for crop loans, but public sector and cooperative banks have distributed only 25 per cent and 40 per cent respectively.
Agriculture activist Vijay Jawandhiya says the fault lies in the assessment system since crop damage is analysed at the taluka level, where samples are collected from five or six villages out of a cluster of 100. This system does not give an accurate picture of the extent of the damage. “The analysis should be done at the village level or at the gram panchayat level if the village sizes are small,” he says. Jawandhiya suggests the insurance amount be different for irrigated and non-irrigated farms and accuses politicians of trying to milk the issue for
electoral gains. “They are politicising the issue ahead of the assembly poll instead of taking measures that will benefit the farmers.”
Thackeray’s agitation comes just three months before the election. He chose Marathwada, a former Shiv Sena bastion where ally BJP is rapidly spreading its wings, to raise the issue. “We stand firm with the farmers, it is our commitment,” he said. Jawandhiya says Thackeray should take the agriculture officials, who assess crop damage, to task if he is sincere about the farmers’ cause.
Sensing the resentment, Fadnavis has announced an additional lump sum relief of Rs 1,000 for farmers who receive compensation of less than the amount. He has also set up redressal committees at the taluka level to deal with complaints. Agriculture minister Anil Bonde says the panels are empowered to take action against errant insurance companies and banks if they do not follow norms. ■