New Delhi, Mar 10 : More than 11.6 lakh farmer applications have been enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in Jammu and Kashmir since the inception of the scheme, with claims worth Rs 166.7 crore paid to 2.8 lakh farmer applications till the Kharif 2025 season, the government informed the Lok Sabha.
The information was shared by Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Bhagirath Choudhary in a written reply to a question raised by MP Abdul Rashid Sheikh.
Choudhary said the government has introduced the yield-based PMFBY and the weather index-based Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) from Kharif 2016 to provide financial support to farmers facing crop losses due to natural calamities and adverse weather conditions.
He said the schemes provide comprehensive risk insurance covering the period from pre-sowing to post-harvest losses and aim to stabilise farmers’ income.
The minister said the schemes are voluntary for states and union territories as well as farmers, and all willing farmers are eligible to enrol.
Under PMFBY, farmers are charged a low premium rate — up to 2 per cent of the sum insured for Kharif crops, up to 1.5 per cent for Rabi crops and up to 5 per cent for commercial and horticultural crops.
The remaining actuarial premium is shared between the Centre and states on a 50:50 basis. However, in northeastern and Himalayan states, including Jammu and Kashmir, the premium is shared in the ratio of 90:10 between the Centre and the state or UT government.
Responding to another part of the question, the minister said land and agriculture fall under the jurisdiction of state governments under the Constitution, which are responsible for taking measures to increase the area under cultivation and ensure optimal use of agricultural land.
He said the Centre supports such efforts through policy initiatives and schemes such as the Watershed Development Component of the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (WDC-PMKSY), which focuses on the development of rainfed and degraded land.(KNS).
