Bhubaneswar: Nearly 2 crore farmers in Odisha have been covered under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) since its launch in 2016, while insurance claims worth Rs 7,219.28 crore have been disbursed to beneficiaries over the past nine years, Union Minister of State for Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Ramnath Thakur informed the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
Responding to a question by BJD Rajya Sabha MP Manas Ranjan Mangaraj, the minister said 197.88 lakh farmers in Odisha were enrolled under the flagship crop insurance scheme between 2016-17 and June 30, 2026, making PMFBY one of the country’s largest social security initiatives aimed at protecting farmers against crop losses caused by natural calamities and other notified risks.
Thakur said the crop insurance scheme continues to be demand-driven and voluntary for both states and farmers. He added that the Union Government has introduced a series of reforms in recent years to expand coverage, simplify enrolment and ensure quicker settlement of insurance claims.
District-wise data tabled in the House showed that Bhadrak recorded the highest enrolment under the scheme with 17.19 lakh farmers, followed by Baleshwar (14.98 lakh), Ganjam (14.37 lakh), Puri (12.09 lakh), Kendrapada (12.01 lakh) and Baragada (11.55 lakh). Other districts with significant participation include Kalahandi (9.31 lakh), Balangir (9.17 lakh), Anugola (8.71 lakh) and Sundaragada (8.62 lakh).
To improve accessibility, the Centre launched the App for Intermediary Enrolment (AIDE) during the Kharif 2023 season. The digital platform enables insurance intermediaries to enrol farmers at their doorsteps through a completely paperless and cashless process, reducing procedural delays and improving outreach in rural areas.
The minister said awareness campaigns have also been intensified through initiatives such as Fasal Bima Saptah (Crop Insurance Week), village-level Fasal Bima Pathshalas, and the nationwide ‘Meri Policy Mere Haath’ campaign, under which insured farmers receive physical copies of their insurance policies. Public awareness is further being promoted through newspapers, television, radio, SMS alerts, Common Service Centres (CSCs) and Panchayati Raj Institutions.
Highlighting measures to ensure timely claim settlement, Thakur said the National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) has been integrated with the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) and insurance companies through the Digiclaim Module, which has been operational since the Kharif 2022 season. The digital integration has helped make claim processing faster and more transparent.
The Centre has also tightened accountability norms. From Kharif 2024, insurance companies are liable to pay an automatic 12 per cent penalty for delays in settling claims. Beginning Kharif 2025, state governments will also have to pay a 12 per cent penalty for delays in releasing their share of premium subsidies. States have additionally been directed to maintain escrow accounts for depositing premium subsidies in advance to ensure greater financial discipline.
The minister said technology has become central to the implementation of PMFBY, with digital tools such as the Crop Cutting Experiment (CCE)-Agri App, YES-TECH for remote sensing-based yield estimation, integration of land records with the National Crop Insurance Portal, and the Crop Loss Assessment App (CLAP) being used to improve transparency, accuracy and speed in crop loss assessment as well as insurance claim settlement.
