Why changes in crop insurance scheme could raise issues of sustainability

There are two principal changes. The first is the decision to make the scheme voluntary for non-loanee farmers and the second imposes a limit on the premium subsidy to 30 per cent for unirrigated area

Ever since the National Democratic Alliance government launched the much-discussed Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in kharif 2016, it has seen numerous twists and turns to make itself friendlier to the farmer.
 
Last week, the Union Cabinet embarked on another such exercise by announcing a host of changes in PMFBY. There are two principal changes. The first is the decision to make the scheme voluntary for non-loanee farmers. Second, it imposes a limit on the premium subsidy to 30 per cent for unirrigated areas and crops and 25 per cent for irrigated areas and crops.
 
These two