Re-design and deliver

Govt crop insurance scheme needs radical rethink

In a welcome initiative, the government has suo motu offered to make pro-farmer changes in its flagship crop-insurance scheme — the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) — in view of the climate change-induced escalated hazards in farming. This move is deemed need-based as well, given that this scheme has failed to meet the expectations of the state governments and farmers despite the reforms carried out in 2018 and 2020. Unsurprisingly, therefore, the number of states implementing the PMFBY has declined from 22 in 2018 to 19 now, and the count of cultivators opting for the insurance cover has dropped