The Yogi Adityanath government is aiming to mobilize the agricultural community by commencing a state-wide drive on December 1 to enrol as many farmers as possible in the Central crop insurance scheme, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
The flagship scheme provides farmers with coverage and financial assistance in the event of crop failure due to natural disasters, pests, or diseases.
The move arrives soon after the Centre introduced a bill to repeal the three farm laws at the opening of the winter session of Parliament. The Uttar Pradesh government will lead the week-long drive in collaboration with the ministry of agriculture and farmer welfare, as well as financial institutions including commercial banks and regional rural banks.
This is another attempt by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party to assuage farmers feeling, who have threatened to continue the protest until their demands, which include a legal guarantee for minimum support price (MSP) and the dismissal of Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra Teni, whose son Ashish is an accused in the Lakhimpur violence, are met. Ashish Mishra is imprisoned.
According to Agriculture Department figures, updated till August 31, 2019, Uttar Pradesh has a total cultivable area of more than 35.5 lakh hectares in 2019-20, with around 47 lakh farmers insured under PMFBY. In effect, this amounted to Rs.16743 crore insured value. According to records, Uttar Pradesh lags significantly behind Maharashtra and Rajasthan, which insured 1.45 crore and 85 lakh farmers, respectively, under PMFBY.
In fact, Uttar Pradesh accounts for just more than 7% of the 6.12 crore farmers insured under the scheme nationwide. The Uttar Pradesh Agriculture Department has decided to launch a campaign in 75 development blocks across 75 districts where the number of insured farmers is low.
In a letter to district magistrates, Additional Chief Secretary (Agriculture) Devesh Chaturvedi stated that priority should be given to aspirational districts and districts having a significant Scheduled Tribes population.
Sewapuri in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Lok Sabha constituency Varanasi, Campierganj block in Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's political backyard of Gorakhpur, and Pathardeva assembly constituency of UP Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi are among the areas where the scheme is proposed to be implemented rigorously.
Special vehicles to spread awareness in different districts about the scheme will be flagged off by Shahi from Lucknow on December 1.
