J Form a hurdle for farmers to avail benefits

Find it difficult to fulfil formalities for health insurance cards

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, August 31

A majority of the farmers in the district are perturbed as they have not been able to fulfil the required formalities for making Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana cards.

Farmers alleged that they could not furnish the J Form or ration card (not in use in the state now), which required to avail benefits of the health insurance scheme launched by the Centre recently.

The farming community has been running from pillar to post to get the required formalities done, but much to their dismay, it has been told by the authorities to bring documents that they do not possess.

Reportedly, farmers applying for the Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana are either being asked to furnish BPL card/ration card or J Form that authenticates farmer’s income from agricultural produce.

Ironically, ration cards are no longer in use in the state and many BPL cards were cancelled by the government after surveys in the recent years. Moreover, J Form has not been uploaded on the website by the department concerned. As a result, a majority of the farmers are returning home without completing the formalities required for making Sarbat Sehat Bima Yojana cards.

Jasbir Singh of Burj Sema said, “What is the use of a scheme when actual beneficiaries cannot avail it? It is not possible for a majority of the farmers to fulfil required formalities to avail the benefits under the Centre’s health insurance scheme. If the government is genuinely concerned about extending benefits under the scheme to the farming community, it must revoke the mandatory condition of furnishing J Form or BPL cards.”

The farmers said after waiting for hours in long queues at the centres designated for making Sehat Bima Yojana cards, they have been asked to return home without completing the formalities required under the scheme.

Singara Singh Mann, president of the BKU (Ekta) Ugrahan, said, “If the details of J Forms are not uploaded online, it is the responsibility of market committees to provide information. Why a farmer bears the brunt of their negligence or apathy? The government could have sought Aadhaar card number for the completion of formalities for availing benefits under the scheme. After being denied by the authorities, farmers are in a fix as to how to avail benefits under the scheme.”

Maninderjit Singh, district mandi officer, said, “Farmers or arthiyas must visit market committees to upload their J Forms so that they could complete the required formalities under the Sehat Bima Yojana.”