SAMBALPUR: Farmers, under the aegis of Sambalpur Zilla Krushak Surakhya Sangathan (SZKSS), on Tuesday closed the Kenadhipa and Mahada gram panchayat offices in Kuchinda sub-division for an indefinite period over their demand for disbursement of crop insurance claims under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).
Farmer leader Kusadhwaj Choudhury said all gram panchayat offices in the sub-division will be closed down till their demand is fulfilled.
The office of Kuchinda Sub-Collector too will be closed soon, he said.
Of the 55 gram panchayats in Kuchinda sub-division, farmers of only six have received their insurance claims for crop loss due to drought during 2018 kharif season.
Kusadhwaj said Reliance Insurance Company had insured the crop of the farmers in the district during the 2018 kharif season. Though the farmers had paid for their insurance, the company is now hesitating to disburse the claims.
The insurance company should have disbursed the claims within 45 days of submission of crop cutting report and accordingly, the farmers were supposed to get their dues by March this year.
Sources said since the insurance company is not accepting the crop cutting report submitted by the district administration, the matter has been referred to the Central Government for its consideration.
Chief District Agriculture Officer (CDAO) Dusasan Praharaj said the Central Government has assigned an independent agency, Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC) of Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare, to examine the matter. The insurance money will be disbursed on the basis of agency’s report. Earlier, the farmers had staged 40-day relay hunger strike near the Collectorate over the demand.