Rs 90,000 crore disbursed to farmers in last 5 years: Narendra Singh Tomar

New Delhi: Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Wednesday said that claims worth Rs 90,000 crore have been disbursed to farmers in last five years under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY).

Briefing reporters, Narendra Singh Tomar said, under this scheme more than 29 crore farmers have, so far insured their crops and about 5.5 crore new farmers are getting registered every year.

Tomar said, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is safeguarding farmers from unexpected crop loss. He said, a crop insurance mobile app is also made available, where farmers can get all information related to the scheme.

Tomar also stressed on the need to raise awareness about the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana so that many more farmers can take advantage of the scheme.

While interacting with stake-holders across the country through video conferencing on the occasion of completion of five years of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, Mr Tomar said, the scheme is a milestone crop insurance scheme, covering the full crop cycle against losses occurring due to non-preventable natural risks.

The Minister said, the scheme was fully operational even during the COVID-19 lockdown, distributing claims of over Rs 8,741 crore to around 70 lakh farmers across the country.

The Agriculture Minister also congratulated the State governments, banks and insurance companies for successful implementation of the scheme throughout the country.

He cited some notable examples of instances where the scheme was able to safeguard the interests of farmers, such as disbursements of claims during dry spell in Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, hailstorms in Haryana and locust attack in Rajasthan in 2019.