Crop insurance compensation given to DK areca growers on the decline under Congress rule: Belthangady MLA
A BJP MLA in Dakshina Kannada has accused the state's Congress government of reducing crop insurance compensation for arecanut growers. He claims that changes to premium sharing and contract extensions have negatively impacted farmers' financial support.
Why it matters
This highlights the political tension surrounding agricultural subsidies and the effectiveness of state-level implementation of federal insurance schemes.
Belthangady MLA Harish Poonja alleged here on Saturday that the crop insurance compensation amount being received by arecanut growers in Dakshina Kannada is on the decline since the Congress government took over in the State.
Addressing presspersons, the MLA said the Congress-led State government had derailed the crop insurance scheme thus doing injustice to arecanut growers in the district.
He warned that the BJP would launch an agitation against the government if it did not come to the rescue of arecanut growers.
Mr. Poonja said arecanut growers in the district had been receiving substantial compensation from the time Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched Fasal Bima Yojana in 2016 until 2023. Compensation averaged ₹1.28 lakh per hectare in 2018, ranged between ₹60,000 and ₹90,000 in 2020-21, and reached up to ₹70,000 by 2023. However, under the current Congress government, this amount has plummeted to an average of ₹20,000 a hectare.
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