MP to launch its own crop insurance scheme

CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan has been advocating a national debate on crop insurance scheme which should be farmers friendly

Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has asked his ministerial colleagues to formulate an indigenous crop insurance scheme for the state.

Bureaucrats, according to sources, have been asked to work on fine points of crop insurance scheme so that farmers could be paid in case of loss caused by crop failure of fall in prices.

"The planned state crop insurance scheme would cover against crop loss suffered by farmers due to any reason," said, Narottam Mishra, state government spokesperson. Chouhan, who has often called for a national debate on crop insurance, has said that the scheme should be farmer-friendly and unit-centric.

"A national level meeting will soon be organised in this regard to give a shape to the scheme. The prime objective of the scheme is to consider each field as unit," Mishra said.

"Madhya Pradesh will be the first state in the country to launch its own crop insurance scheme," he said, adding that a large number of farmers do not receive compensation against crop loss even though they have obtained insurance cover.  The state government will invite agriculture and insurance experts in Indore to give a formal shape to the scheme.