PM Kisan Fasal Bima Yojana: The government has taken a major step in the interest of millions of farmers across the country. The Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme will now cover losses from wild animals and waterlogging.
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana: Taking a big step in the interest of farmers, the government has announced an increase in the scope of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. Now, the damage caused to crops due to wild animals and waterlogging has also been included under this scheme. This rule will be applicable from the Kharif 2026 session. According to the information given by the government, under the new rule, if any animal damages a farmer’s insured crop, he will be able to get the insurance amount. But to avail the benefit of crop insurance, the farmer will have to register the information of crop damage caused by wild animals along with geo-tagged photo on the Fasal Bima App within 72 hours.
The government provided this information.
The press release further stated that crop damage caused by wild animals has been recognized as a fifth “add-on cover” under the “localized risk category.” States will be required to identify such affected areas and publish a list of the wild animals causing the damage.
A long-standing demand.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare said in a statement that this step was taken following long-standing demands from states. It aims to provide relief to farmers from sudden losses. Furthermore, losses due to flooding of paddy crops have been reinstated in the “localized disaster category.” After this risk was removed in 2018, farmers faced difficulties regarding insurance coverage. Paddy farmers in coastal and flood-prone areas often suffer heavy losses due to waterlogging.
These farmers suffered the most.
It should be noted that farmers across the country have long faced crop losses due to attacks by wild animals such as elephants, wild boars, nilgai, deer, and monkeys. This problem particularly troubles farmers cultivating near forests. Until now, such losses were not covered by crop insurance schemes, resulting in significant losses for farmers. Meanwhile, paddy farmers in coastal and flood-prone areas have suffered equally heavy losses due to waterlogging caused by rainfall and overflowing rivers and streams.
These states are included in the proposal.
The report of the expert committee formed in this matter has been approved by Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The ministry stated that the new procedures are scientific, transparent, and more practical, allowing for timely and technology-based claim settlement. These provisions are expected to particularly benefit farmers in Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and the Northeast. Crop damage by wild animals is a major problem in these states. Furthermore, paddy waterlogging coverage will directly benefit farmers in Odisha, Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand.
