Maharashtra To Blacklist Farmers Using Fake Crop Insurance Claims: Report

The Maharashtra government has decided to blacklist farmers found submitting fake crop insurance claims, an action largely limited to intermediaries and service providers earlier, a senior official from the state agriculture department said on Sunday.

The decision comes in the wake of multiple instances where fraudulent applications were filed under the crop insurance programme, the official said.

"The Maharashtra government has now decided to even blacklist farmers if they are found submitting bogus claims to get undue benefits of crop insurance. This is more of a deterrent so that farmers do not indulge in such malpractices," the official said.

As per the government policy, farmers can file insurance claims for losses due to reasons like excess or deficient rainfall, pest infestation or challenges in sowing due to natural phenomena.

Once blacklisted, a farmer might not be able to file claims for at least a few years, he said.

The government has already taken legal action against several Common Service Centres (CSCs) across the state for allegedly filing nearly 4,400 fake crop insurance applications for the 2024 Kharif season. Several FIRs have been registered in districts like Beed, Nanded, Parbhani, Pune, Latur and Jalna, the official said.

"Earlier, the focus was on intermediaries and CSC operators. Now, farmers who submit false claims will also face consequences, including blacklisting," he said.

Under the revised crop insurance scheme for the current Kharif season, the state government has finalised crop-wise premium instalments. This marks a shift from the earlier 'One Rupee' insurance scheme, which was discontinued this year.

The 'One Rupee' scheme, under which the state and central governments bore almost the entire cost of premiums, had led to a total premium payment of Rs 9,600 crore, according to the agriculture department.

Starting this year, farmers are required to pay their own premiums, a change that could bring down the number of participants in the scheme. However, the government has maintained that it is committed to protecting genuine claimants while introducing safeguards against exploitation.

"The state remains committed to supporting genuine claims and ensuring fair compensation for farmers, but steps must be taken to maintain the integrity of the system," the official added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)