Two farmers complain to DC about firm refusing crop insurance cover to them

Two farmers from Kuleri village in Hisar district have alleged that the crop insurance firm has not confirmed the insurance policy of their cotton produce till now even as it has got damaged. Now, they have to apply for the compensation for the crop damage with the insurance firm once again.

In their complaint to the Deputy Commissioner (DC) today, farmers Dinesh Kumar and Sandeep Kumar stated that despite having valid Kisan Credit Card (KCC) accounts and insurance coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), they had not received their policy documents for the insurance cover through which they could claim compensation for damage to their cotton crop.

Dinesh Kumar stated in his complaint that his Kharif crop over approximately four hectares was insured through the same bank under the PMFBY scheme. The premium was duly deducted, and all required documents were collected by the insurance company staff. However, despite this, his insurance policy was not uploaded, he alleged.

The farmer said heavy rains and subsequent flooding destroyed his crop and he filed a complaint on the official PMFBY portal, but his case was reportedly pending because the insurance policy was marked as inactive.

“Due to non-activation of the insurance policy, I am unable to receive compensation,” he stated in his complaint.

Another farmer Sandeep Kumar, from the same village, said he got his crop on over 4.86 hectares insured under the PMFBY scheme, but did not get the policy number. Sandeep said his crop was completely ruined due to continuous heavy rainfall and flooding, but he could not file a proper claim as his insurance policy details were unavailable.

“I have complained multiple times to the bank authorities, but no action has been taken so far to redress my grievance,” he said, adding that a large number of farmers were facing similar issues.

Rajbir Singh, Deputy Director of Agriculture, Hisar, said they had written in this regard to the authorities concerned for necessary action to redress the grievance of farmers.

Meanwhile, an insurance firm official informed that the insurance cover was rejected when a land owner failed to furnish the requisite documents.