Karnataka MLA Flags Delays in Crop Insurance Payouts, Seeks Action Against Officials
Aland MLA B.R. Patil has alleged serious lapses in the disbursal of crop insurance claims under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in Aland taluk of Kalaburagi district, saying officials did not follow prescribed guidelines and that this has caused hardship to farmers.
Speaking at a press conference in Kalaburagi on September 13, Mr. Patil said the taluk has only three agriculture officers, which he said was inadequate to serve the number of farmers enrolled in the scheme. He alleged that lapses on the part of village accountants had denied insurance benefits to several eligible farmers, and that the tahsildar had attempted to defend the officials concerned.
The PMFBY, launched in 2016, is a central scheme that provides financial support to farmers in the event of crop loss due to natural calamities, pests or disease. Farmers pay a share of the premium — 2% of the sum insured for kharif crops, 1.5% for rabi crops and 5% for commercial and horticultural crops — with the remaining amount shared between the Centre and the State government. Claims are normally settled after assessment of crop loss by designated officials.
Mr. Patil said farmers in Aland taluk were aware of the scheme and had been paying premiums voluntarily. Many had borrowed money to buy seeds and take up cultivation, and a failure to release insurance claims on time in such circumstances was a matter of serious concern, he added.
The legislator said nearly ₹300 crore had been sanctioned under the scheme, but the entire amount had not reached farmers. He cited the villages of Hadalagi and Yelasangi as examples, asking why claims had been settled in one village but not in the other despite similar circumstances.
He sought a review of the entire claims process and urged the Deputy Commissioner to take stringent action against intermediaries, if any were found to be interfering with the settlement of claims.
Mr. Patil also alleged negligence and corruption among some field-level officials and called for the appointment of agriculture graduates to ensure effective implementation of the scheme. Deploying inadequately trained staff with lower qualifications was affecting the delivery of benefits to farmers, he said.
According to the MLA, the Agriculture Department has faced a shortage of officers for nearly three decades, which he said has adversely affected its functioning and its ability to serve farmers in the district.
He urged the district administration to convene gram sabhas so that farmers' grievances could be heard directly and resolved in a time-bound manner.
Advocate and consumer activist Vaijnath Zhalki was present at the press conference.
Officials named or referred to in the allegations could not be reached immediately for a response, and the specific claims made at the press conference have not been independently verified. The demands raised by the MLA relate to the implementation of a scheme that is jointly funded and monitored by the Centre and the State, and any review would involve both the district administration and the Agriculture Department.
