Fishermen fret over vital insurance cover with Cyclone Yaas set to strike

The cover, under an earlier Central scheme, ended almost a year back, and there hasn't been much progress on a newer one that promises them a higher amount

With Cyclone Yaas hitting the eastern Indian Coast just days after Cyclone Tauktae devastated the western coastline, millions of fishermen, who are among the most vulnerable groups when such catastrophes strike, are anxiously awaiting clarity on their annual insurance cover.

The reason for this is that the cover provided under the Centre’s Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), which is a vital safety net for them, ended almost a year back on May 31, 2020. Ever since, there hasn’t been much progress on the higher insurance coverage of Rs 5 lakh promised under the newly launched Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada