Crop insurance coverage scheme: Centre, Bihar lock horns

Tussle is brewing concerning the Nitish Kumar-led government in Bihar as well as the NDA government with the Centre over the situation in the implementation of Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Nearly three-fourth of Bihar’s population is dependent on agriculture.
While the state has expressed its issues in meeting the economic burden of its share inside the scheme, Agriculture Minister Radhamohan Singh, who hails from Bihar, has strongly objected to Nitish’s remarks the scheme’s title need to be transformed to “PM-CM farmer insurance scheme” if states should spend half the cash. Nitish had also alleged the agencies encouraged by the Centre to insure farmers towards crop loss have adopted a “partisan” policy in the direction of Bihar on fixing the Minimal Normal Weighted Premium fee.
Singh told The Indian Express: “Twenty-two states are implementing the scheme. Within a number of states, the tender procedure is finished. But nobody has produced such an absurd demand. I fail to comprehend the logic.”
“The mandate Nitish Kumar ji received is for chief ministership, but he's behaving as though he is the Prime Minister. I pray to God the Bihar government will get the proper sense and implements this scheme, which would advantage farmers,” Singh stated.
He explained it had been “disturbing” that on June 14 this 12 months, the Bihar government had asked banks to deduct the premium of crop insurance coverage from farmers. “So though premiums have been deducted, the farmers usually are not availing the advantages,” Singh explained.
When asked what could be the reason for your state government expressing inability to implement the scheme, Singh just stated, “reason lies elsewhere”.
Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Council Sushil Kumar Modi mentioned the BJP will launch an enormous agitation against the state government if your scheme was not implemented.
“After the prohibition, the state government is facing a fiscal crisis. Hence it is making excuses not to implement this scheme. Should the government did not intend to implement the scheme, why did the Cabinet situation a letter of commitment on May well 26? Why did it inquire banks to deduct the premium in June? The CM is now opposing the scheme as he feels the Prime Minister will get appreciation for it,” he explained.
An effort to resolve the situation is most likely to become created on Monday, when Bihar Cooperative Minister Alok Kumar Mehta is expected to phone about the Union Agriculture Minister.
In a letter on August one, Mehta had apprised Singh from the problems in implementing the scheme in Bihar. Claiming that a increased insurance coverage premium had been fixed for Bihar in comparison to other states, the state government had asked the Centre to extend money support to meet the state share.
In reply, Singh had explained the scheme was launched after detailed deliberations with states, like Bihar.

Mehta had not long ago explained in Assembly that Bihar is not going to employ the scheme as it was financially not achievable for that state to follow the 50:50 sharing formulae concerning Centre and states.
He stated the state are unable to bear the share of its expenditure - around Rs 650 crore. Nitish too had raised the problem at the current Inter-State Council meet and explained the scheme was skewed against Bihar.
In Rajya Sabha, the Agriculture Minister has informed that that 22 states, barring Bihar and Punjab, have implemented the scheme. He said Bihar has become left out because the CM had some reservations as well as state has not issued the required notification.

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