The Bangaru Vaickal Neeradhara Koottamaippu, a farmers’ and water users’ rights collective has expressed concern over the poor implementation of the Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance scheme in Puducherry.
In a letter addressed to Lieutenant Governor K. Kailashnathan, the president of the Association, V. Chandrasekhar, said the implementation of the scheme lacked transparency and it had become customary to release the compensation amount after a period of two years.
A committee headed by the District Collector was also formed to monitor its implementation, but the committee was yet to hold meetings, he said.
Mr. Chandrasekhar said that the compensation amount to farmers affected by Cyclone Fengal last year had been deposited into the bank accounts recently after repeated complaints to the authorities concerned. However, the Department of Agriculture was yet to furnish details of the compensation provided village-wise, he said.
Though the Puducherry government had allocated ₹20,000 per hectare for the affected paddy crops, insurance companies have disbursed only ₹3,000 to ₹4,000 per hectare. Highlighting discrepancies in the insurance companies’ disbursement of compensation, Mr. Chandrasekhar said that several farmers had not even received the premium amount paid.
The department has not properly monitored the scheme despite repeated complaints, he said. The collective also called for direct payment of compensation to the farmers by the Central and State governments. The Puducherry government should withdraw from the Crop Insurance Scheme, he added.
Published – November 20, 2025 08:34 pm IST
