Over 4 cr farmers may opt for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana

this yr: Radha Mohan Rohtak, Aug 21 (PTI) Union Agriculture Minister RadhaMohan Singh today said the number of farmers opting for the’Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana’ this year is expected tocross four crore, as against three crore last year. As many as 200 mandis across the country would be broughtunder the ambit of the scheme by next month. 400 mandis wouldbe made online by March next year, while 585 mandis would goonline by 2018, he said. Singh said, "The scheme aims to make agriculturalpractice risk-free for the farmers, but the leaders in orderto serve their own political agenda are not able to comprehendit." "Earlier, crop insurance schemes profited insurancecompanies and farmers were not compensated for the losses dueto crop damage caused by natural calamities after the harvest.Besides, premium rates differed according to location," hesaid. But this scheme is farmer-friendly. The farmers arerequired to pay only minimal premium and can claimcompensation for losses caused by natural calamities up to 14days after the harvest, the Union minister said. Reiterating the government’s commitment towardsincreasing farmers’ income, the minister said Prime MinisterNarendra Modi understood the problems of the poor and thefarmers and has taken several initiatives to alleviate theirsufferings and provide amenities to them. Bank accounts of more than 22 crore families have beenopened in the last two years under the ‘Pradhan MantriJan-Dhan Yojana’ and the government has made it a mission toprovide electricity to each household by March, 2018, he said. Addressing a public meeting, Singh said the Tiranga Yatrawas launched throughout the country on August 9 to mark 70years of freedom and would continue till August 22. He also visited the ancestral house of Sir Chhotu Ram,one of the most prominent pre-partition politicians in theBritish India’s Punjab Province. Haryan Minister of State for Cooperation (IndependentCharge) Manish Kumar Grover and state BJP chief SubhashBarala also spoke on the occasion. PTI VJ NSD RGNSD