Tahir
Mushtaq
JAMMU,
Apr 22: The much hyped agri insurance schemes has turned out to be a cropper
for farmers in Jammu region as manpower shortage hinders its implementation
since past four years.
Sources said that there is only one employee of Agriculture Insurance Company of India (AIC) handling the implementation of the scheme in ten districts of the region.
The National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS) was launched about four years back in the state with aim to cover the cultivators and their crops, who suffer losses due to frequent draught and other natural calamities.
Official sources said that lack of coordination between the Agriculture department and AIC has also contributed in slow implementation of the scheme, which has only remained confined to the files.
Five major crops have been brought under the scheme include Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Potato and Mustard. As per the official data total number of farmers covered under the scheme during the Kharif season in 2010-11 was 1,294.
Similarly in the Rabi season, only 1,152 have been covered in 2010-11. Sources said that if the data is compared to past few years, it is showing constant decline.
While field officer of the AIC blame unwillingness of the farmers to get covered under the scheme, agriculture department blames the AIC for the poor response.
When contacted, Director Agriculture Ajay Khajuria admitted that manpower and infrastructure shortage is the main reason for slow process of the requests made by the farmers.
A farmer leader Tejinder Singh alleged that like other schemes only few chosen farmers have received the benefits of NAIS. “Just tall promises and slogans, on ground cultivators have been left at the mercy of vagaries of weather. No one gets a penny and has to run from pillar to post to get compensation money”, Singh alleged.
It is important to mention here that starting 2008, Jammu and Kashmir has faced some of the worst draughts and unexpected rainfalls in recent decades destroying crops over thousands of hectors of land.
Even the Special Girdawari (survey) conducted by the state government in 18-districts of the state last year has revealed that farmers have suffered losses to the tune of Rs 211.28 crore.
Sources said that there is only one employee of Agriculture Insurance Company of India (AIC) handling the implementation of the scheme in ten districts of the region.
The National Agriculture Insurance Scheme (NAIS) was launched about four years back in the state with aim to cover the cultivators and their crops, who suffer losses due to frequent draught and other natural calamities.
Official sources said that lack of coordination between the Agriculture department and AIC has also contributed in slow implementation of the scheme, which has only remained confined to the files.
Five major crops have been brought under the scheme include Paddy, Wheat, Maize, Potato and Mustard. As per the official data total number of farmers covered under the scheme during the Kharif season in 2010-11 was 1,294.
Similarly in the Rabi season, only 1,152 have been covered in 2010-11. Sources said that if the data is compared to past few years, it is showing constant decline.
While field officer of the AIC blame unwillingness of the farmers to get covered under the scheme, agriculture department blames the AIC for the poor response.
When contacted, Director Agriculture Ajay Khajuria admitted that manpower and infrastructure shortage is the main reason for slow process of the requests made by the farmers.
A farmer leader Tejinder Singh alleged that like other schemes only few chosen farmers have received the benefits of NAIS. “Just tall promises and slogans, on ground cultivators have been left at the mercy of vagaries of weather. No one gets a penny and has to run from pillar to post to get compensation money”, Singh alleged.
It is important to mention here that starting 2008, Jammu and Kashmir has faced some of the worst draughts and unexpected rainfalls in recent decades destroying crops over thousands of hectors of land.
Even the Special Girdawari (survey) conducted by the state government in 18-districts of the state last year has revealed that farmers have suffered losses to the tune of Rs 211.28 crore.
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