Tripura government compensates 41581 marginal farmers for crop loss

Tripura government on September 28 digitally transferred Rs 7.454 crores to bank accounts of 41581 marginal farmers across Tripura as compensation amounts under State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) assistance for crop loss due to untimely rainfall last December.

Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha through a single click of the mouse digitally transferred the compensation amount among affected farmer’s bank accounts during a program in Rajarshi Hall, Udaipur, Gomati district on Wednesday, September 28 in presence of Agriculture Minister Pranajit Singh Roy and other dignitaries beside hundred of farmers who attended from across the district.

In his speech, the Chief Minister alleged that the previous Left Front government which ruled the state for 35 years though used to claim pro-poor but the fact of the matter is they believed in keeping people poor so that they can continue their political agendas and which was actually anti-poor.

He claimed that since 2018 the present government came to power, under various schemes of the central and state government several initiatives have been taken for uplifting the socioeconomic condition of the farmers. 

Dr Saha viewed that in addition to covering the farmers under the insurance, the state government also provided various services in order to assist them in scientific and organic farming for high yield and better prices of their products besides providing subsidized fertilizers, MSP for crops and market linkages including exporting outside the country and as a result the farmers of the state are fast progressing towards doubling of their income and which is the dream of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The majority of these farmers who benefited today belong to the marginal group and were left out of the Pradhan Mantri Fashal Bima Yojana and Mukhya Mantri Fashal Bima Yojana.

Addressing the gathering Agriculture Ministry Singha Roy said that all total there are some 4.72 lakh farmer families in the state beside others who work on leased farms but before this government came to power only 23453 farmers were intentionally brought under the Pradhan Mantri Fashal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) so that they are deprived of insurance coverage and compensation of crop losses. 

The Minister claimed that in the history of the state this is for the first time that such big compensation was provided to the farmers by the state government and which reveals the intention of this government.

He added that the new government had changed the name to Mukhya Mantri Fashal Bima Yojana and at present, some 850658 farmers are under the insurance cover, and till now 8541 farmers have already received a total of Rs 5.92 crores as compensation besides another Rs 88 lakh for those who faced loss because of winter rain last December.

The Agriculture Ministry informed that for every Kani of land though the insurance amount is Rs 220, the farmers have to pay only 10 rupees, and the remaining Rs 210 is paid by the state government and during the last financial year the state government had to pay some ₹11 crores as insurance subsidy of the farmers.

He also urged the farmers to take the benefit of crop insurance besides other schemes that the government provides to the farmers so that they can prosper and become self-reliant.