Chandigarh:
The General Secretary of All India Congress Committee, former Union Minister, and MP from Sirsa, Kumari Selja, has expressed concern over the serious flaws in the crop insurance scheme in the state and the injustice being done to farmers. Kumari Selja has demanded immediate intervention from the central and state governments. Kumari Selja said that the primary objective of the crop insurance scheme was to provide financial relief to farmers during natural disasters, but it has now become a means of profit for insurance companies. Strict action should be taken against officials involved in scams under the guise of insurance.
In a statement released to the media Kumari Selja said that thousands of farmers across various districts in the state have been struggling for years to get their crop insurance claims. However, they are not receiving any satisfactory response. Farmers are being forced to run from one office to another. The collusion between officials and insurance companies has become a cause of distress for farmers. Such officials should be identified and punished. When farmers insure their crops, the companies neither conduct timely surveys nor maintain transparency in assessing the damage. Many farmers are not even given any documentation regarding their claims, whereas in sectors like vehicle insurance, consumers are handed the full policy. This double standard is an injustice to farmers. It clearly shows that companies have always been profit-driven and have no concern for farmers’ interests.
Kumari Selja said that the insurance companies treat an entire village as a single unit while assessing damage. If a particular field suffers actual loss but the entire village is not declared as a damaged area, that farmer does not receive a claim. This system is anti-farmer and must be changed immediately. Kumari Selja said that in the era of climate change, disasters like floods, excessive rainfall, and hailstorms have become common. If a farmer’s crop is destroyed, they should receive compensation immediately so they can prepare for the next crop. However, under the current system, delays of 2 to 3 years are common, pushing farmers deeper into debt.Selja said that governments take responsibility only up to collecting premiums, but when it comes to disbursing claims, farmers are left at the mercy of insurance companies. This situation must be changed immediately. Kumari Selja further alleged that in the cotton-producing regions, a ₹300 crore insurance scam occurred during the determination of Kharif-23 cotton claims in Bhiwani and Charkhi Dadri due to the collusion between the agriculture department and CIC company officials. To date, neither have the guilty officials been punished, nor have the affected farmers received any compensation.
Kumari Selja has demanded from the government that farmers should be given individual insurance policies, just like in other insurance sectors. The insurance survey must be transparent, and assessment of damage should be done at the individual field level. The claim amount should be paid within a fixed timeframe, with a maximum of 60 days. Companies profiteering in the name of insurance should be closely monitored, and fines should be imposed for negligence. Kumari Selja said that the Congress Party will raise this issue of farmers’ pain at every level and continue the struggle to ensure that farmers receive their rights.
