Farmers may lose as govt. skips paying free crop insurance premium for Kharif 23-24, says Jagan

Farmers may lose as govt. skips paying free crop insurance premium for Kharif 23-24, says Jagan.

YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy has expressed fear that farmers will be ineligible for free crop insurance as the State government has not paid the premium for the 2023-24 Kharif season.

In a post on  ‘X’ on Sunday, Mr. Reddy said his government used to pay the premium for the season by April-May every year and come to the rescue of the farmers who suffered losses in June.

The YSRCP government had effectively implemented the free crop insurance scheme without burdening the farmers, he said. The Union government used to release its share as soon as the State government paid the premium. The insurance companies used to make the payments within 30 days of claims by the farmers, he added.

The YSRP government had reached out to 54.55 lakh farmers by extending a relief of ₹7,802 crore to them. Andhra Pradesh stood as a role model for the entire country, he claimed.

The former Chief Minister said the premium payment for the 2023-24 Kharif season had to be stopped due to the election code. The new government ought to have responded as soon as it assumed office. “Even now, the government has turned a blind eye to the free crop insurance,” he alleged.

Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, in the run-up to the elections, promised that the farmers would be paid ₹20,000 each as investment if voted to power. The promise was a part of the Super Six. The farmers were waiting for the financial assistance, but there was no word from Mr. Naidu, Mr. Reddy said.

In comparison, the YSRCP government had paid ₹34,288 crore to 53.58 lakh farmers every year, even during the COVID-19 period, he said.