The Gujarat unit of Congress raised concerns about the state government’s failure to implement the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) despite requests from the Union government. Party spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil highlighted letters from the Union Agriculture Minister urging Gujarat to adopt the scheme to protect farmers from crop losses due to natural calamities. The Centre’s communication emphasized the benefits of PMFBY in providing compensation for crop losses and urged immediate implementation in Gujarat.
Gohil pointed out that while most states had embraced PMFBY, Gujarat had not, leading to farmers missing out on crucial insurance benefits. He cited instances of farmers in Gujarat suffering significant losses due to unseasonal heavy rainfall and receiving inadequate compensation. The Congress demanded an explanation from the state government for excluding farmers from the central crop insurance scheme and insisted on full compensation for the losses incurred.
With concerns over delayed monsoons and potential crop losses, the party called for the swift implementation of PMFBY in Gujarat. It questioned why the state’s farmers had been left out of the scheme since 2019-20 while farmers in other states continued to benefit from it. Gujarat had opted out of PMFBY in 2020, introducing the Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahay Yojana (MMKSY) as an alternative funded by the state. Unlike PMFBY, MMKSY offers financial assistance for crop losses without farmers paying an insurance premium.
