CHENNAI: Chief Minister MK Stalin on Tuesday commenced the disbursal of compensation for crops damaged due to rain and other reasons in 2021-22. In all, 4,42,734 farmers will get Rs 481 crore as compensation under the Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme. At the Secretariat, 10 farmers received cheques for the compensation amount from Stalin.
In 2021-22, the PM’s Crop Insurance Scheme was implemented through the Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited and the Iffco-Tokio General Insurance Company Limited as 14 packages in 37 districts. As many as 26.06 lakh farmers insured their crops on 40.74 lakh acres during the Special (samba) season. The State government has paid Rs 1,338.89 crore as subsidy towards premiums for insuring the crops. Since the government took special steps to disburse the insurance claims to farmers, now `481 crore has been sanctioned.
Considering the incidents of crop damage due to natural disasters, the State government has sanctioned Rs 2,057 crore as a subsidy for paying premiums to insurance companies for the current financial year 2022-23. So far, 85,597 farmers have insured their crops on 63,331 acres. Agriculturae Minister MRK Panneerselvam, Chief Secretary V Irai Anbu and senior officials were present on the occasion.