Rajnath's new crop insurance scheme for farmers
PTI[ MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2004 09:07:25 PM ]

MULLANPUR, Ludhiana: Union Agriculture Minister Rajnath Singh on Monday announced a new crop insurance scheme for the farm sector that will eventually replace the existing crop insurance scheme.

Singh said that under the new crop insurance scheme, the agriculture income of farmers would be insured.

He said the income would be calculated on the basis of Minimum Support Price multiplied by per acre yield. Singh said income of last seven years would be calculated to decide the annual income from particular crop.

"The Centre will bear the 75 per cent of premium calculated by insurance companies", he said while addressing a Jan Chetna rally organised by the Youth Akali Dal at village Bhanhoar here.

Singh said that Punjab could not be included because the Congress government led by Capt Amarinder Singh had refused to accept the insurance scheme. From the next paddy season, the Union government will formally launch the scheme in 100 districts.

"We will adopt 15 Punjab districts if Amarinder Singh agrees to it", he said, and exhorted the people to throw out the Amarinder-led government to take benefit of the Central schemes.