Jammu, Nov 14 (KNO): Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo Friday chaired a meeting to review the implementation, reach and impact of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in Jammu and Kashmir, calling upon all banks and financial institutions to ensure complete saturation of the scheme for eligible Kisan Credit Card (KCC) holders ahead of the upcoming Rabi season.
The meeting was attended by Additional Chief Secretary, Agriculture Production Department (APD), Shailendra Kumar, Heads of Departments of the Agriculture Production Department, the Convenor, UTLBC, while all Deputy Commissioners participated through video conferencing.
Emphasizing the need to utilize the window available till 31st December, the Chief Secretary directed banks to register as many farmers as possible under PMFBY for the Rabi 2025 season. He underscored that the scheme serves as a vital safeguard for farmers against crop loss arising from adverse weather conditions and natural calamities.
The saturation of PMFBY is crucial for securing the livelihoods of vulnerable farming communities across the Union Territory, he said, stressing the need for proactive mobilization by banks and field agencies.
He further instructed the Agriculture Production Department to submit insurance claims promptly to banks to ensure swift and timely settlement for affected farmers.
Chief Secretary, Dulloo directed all Deputy Commissioners to monitor progress at the district level and remove bottlenecks to ensure maximum enrollment of eligible farmers. The DCs shared district-specific insights, highlighting both challenges and opportunities in expanding coverage under PMFBY.
Speaking during the meeting, ACS APD Shailendra Kumar emphasized the need for assigning daily enrollment targets to bank branches over the next 45 days to ensure full coverage before the Rabi season begins.
He instructed banks to focus equally on all crop categories, rather than prioritizing only cash crops. He also directed them not to delay processing of claims over concerns regarding the UT's share, assuring that the requisite UT contribution would be released prior to claim disbursals.
The meeting was informed that cumulatively 11.5 lakh farmers have been enrolled under PMFBY across J&K, while for Kharif 2025, a total of 72,356 claims worth Rs 40.28 Cr have been received. Overall, 2.01 lakh farmers, covering 75,732 hectares, were registered under the scheme for the Kharif season. In addition, out of 4,35,313 eligible KCC account holders, 1,68,421 farmers were brought under PMFBY for crop insurance coverage during this crop season.
The meeting also reviewed the progress of tendering for the Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS). It was informed that five insurance companies have submitted bids for Jammu division and four for Kashmir division. These bids are scheduled to be opened on 17th November, enabling timely rollout and implementation of this flagship scheme across all districts of the UT—(KNO)