PM Fasal Bima Yojana Is bogus: KCR

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana was just a bogus. He fumed at the central government for not releasing at least Rs 8 under the scheme while the crop loss due to rains was pegged at Rs 8,000 crore in Telangana.

The central teams which are sent to assess the damage always reach the affected place very late. It would be ridiculous to know that no central team visited Hyderabad when the city was flooded due to incessant rains recently, the CM said.

Speaking in the Assembly, KCR said that government is constant both at the Centre and State. It is just the people helming it who change.

The Finance Commission of India makes allocation towards disaster management too, which means funds are released to the specific states hit by any natural calamity. Every state sends a tentative estimate every year and the allocation is done based on it.

The problem is with the Centre. It does not release the funds seeing the estimates provided by the state. Instead, a central team is sent to assess the situation. Much pathetic, these teams reach the areas hit by natural calamity very late. At times, they come so late that the damaged crop is removed and fresh crop gets ready for harvest. They are late by 4-5 months also, KCR pointed out.

No central team visited the state during Hyderabad floods, he reminded.

Agriculture experts MS Swaminathan and Ashok Gulati made valid recommendations but the Centre never gave any significance to them. The Centre’s rules do not match with the reality.

Compensation is given only if the entire mandal/village is inundated but in reality, it might not happen and so insurance is denied to even the affected farmers. None of the governments, be it the Congress or any other party, had been of support to the states since Independence.

Now, the BJP government has gone a step ahead and is denying to purchase the crop affected during natural calamities. In such a case, KCR said the farmer is at complete loss and has no clue of whom he should approach.