The pilot ‘Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme’ (WBCIS), which is aimed to insure wheat farmers in Haryana against adverse weather conditions, seems to have hit a snag, as the state government failed to issue the notification regarding implementation of the scheme.
Even as the last date for insuring farmers under the scheme —March 9 — draws closer, the notification is still being awaited by the implementing agencies.
The Haryana government had earlier decided ‘in principle’ to launch the WBCIS for wheat and, to begin with, implement the scheme in two blocks of Tohana in Fatehabad district and Babain in Kurukshetra district. The task of implementation was given to Agriculture Insurance Company of India (AICL) and ICICI Lombard.
The risk period of the scheme was from March 10 to April 15 with 1.5 per cent premium to be given by farmers and the rest to be equally shared by the Centre and the state government. The amount of insurance protection under the scheme is Rs 15,000 per acre for wheat farmers. The scheme is mandatory for the farmers who have taken loan from banks or other financial institutions.
The WBCIS aims to protect wheat growing farmers in Haryana from adverse weather conditions during the months of March and April.
