BARGARH: Work in government offices in Padampur sub-division remained paralysed for the second consecutive day as local farmers continued their protest over non-payment of crop insurance on Tuesday. Though the agitating farmers called off their dharna after holding discussion with Additional District Magistrate (ADM) of Bargarh Mirdha Toppo, they did not allow the government offices to function.
Farmer leader Ramesh Mohapatra said the agitation will continue till the disbursement of insurance money. "During the discussion, the ADM informed us that a high-level meeting has been convened in Bhubaneswar over the issue. He also asked us to withdraw the agitation and allow the offices to function. But we have decided to continue our protest till the outcome of the proposed meeting is made public," he said.
Mohapatra informed that the farmers have only called off the dharna and stopped picketing outside the government offices. However, the offices will remain locked. "We will hold a follow-up meeting on June 17. If the farmers do not get a favourable decision by then, we will be forced to intensify our agitation," he threatened.
On Monday, farmers under the banner of Rajbodasambar Krushak Sangathan had locked the gates of the offices of Padampur Sub-Collector, block development officer (BDO), tehsil, sub-treasury and the local cooperative bank protesting the delay in disbursement of insurance money under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) for crop loss in the last kharif season.
Sources said that the over 90,000 farmers had applied for insurance under PMFBY and also paid the premium for around 2 lakh hectare (ha) of farmland through online mode. But the insurance company HDFC Ergo, despite receiving the premium, has rejected around 63,000 applications.
The agitators said not every farmer has land document in own name. Many farmers usually cultivate the land of their family members. The insurance company rejected the insurance claims citing absence of acceptable proof of relationship between the farmer and the land owner.
"There is no provision for establishing the relationship between the farmer and land owner. Earlier, we had discussed the issue with the district administration. The officials said in such cases, a verification of the relationship will be conducted by the local RI and countersigned by the tehsildar. The insurance company is yet to upload the verified documents of farmers citing technical error," Mohapatra alleged.