WB stops implementing PMFBY from this yr; rolls out its own crop insurance scheme

The West Bengal government has stopped implementing the central scheme on crop insurance PMFBY from Kharif 2019 and instead rolled out its own scheme, Parliament was informed on Tuesday.

From Kharif 2016, the centre had introduced yield-based Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and weather-index based Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) to provide financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of natural calamities, adverse weather incidence, to stabilise the income of farmers.

PMFBY is voluntary for states. West Bengal government had implemented both the schemes during 2016-17, 2017-18 and 2018-19. "But state government has withdrawn from the scheme from Kharif 2019 and is implementing its own scheme Bangla Fasal Bima Yojana," Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar said in Lok Sabha in a written reply.

Under the PMFBY, all food and oilseed crops and commercial/horticultural crops can be notified subject to availability of past yield data based on requisite number of crop cutting experiments (CCEs) and capacity of the states to conduct the requisite CCEs for each crop and insurance unit area.

However, for coverage of crops under RWBCIS required weather data is the prerequisite. As per the provisions of the scheme, specific crops and areas under the schemes are notified by the concerned state government.

Actuarial/bidded premium rate is charged by the insurance companies. But farmers have to pay maximum of 2 per cent of sum insured for Kharif and 1.5 per cent for Rabi food and oilseed crops and 5 per cent for commercial/horticultural crops. Remaining part of actuarial premium is shared equally the central and state government.