Extend crop insurance date: Naveen

To help the maximum number of farmers to avail the benefits provided under the crop insurance scheme of govt

Worried with uneven and deficient rainfall delaying the agriculture operations, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has urged the Centre for extension of the cut-off date for crop insurance of non-loanee farmers under the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) during kharif, 2015, crop season.

"In order to help the maximum number of farmers to avail the benefits provided under the crop insurance scheme of government, it is requested that the cut-off date for applying for insurance coverage by the non-loanee farmers may be further extended to August 31, 2015 instead of July 31, 2015 under the NIAS during Kharif-2015", Patnaik wrote to Radha Mohan Singh, Union minister for agriculture. He stated that the operations have been delayed because of the uneven and deficient rainfall.

As per the scheme, all farmers availing seasonal agricultural operations (SAO) loans from financial institutions (or loanee farmers ) are covered compulsorily while it is optional for non-loanee farmers.

The scheme, currently implemented by Agriculture Insurance Company of India (AICIL), is available to all the farmers, loanee and non-loanee, irrespective of the size of their holding.