Maha mantri’s beggar jibe over Rs 1 crop insurance triggers row

Manikrao Kokate (File photo)

AMRAVATI: Even beggars don’t accept one rupee in alms, but govt is giving crop insurance for this sum and this too is being misused, Maharashtra agriculture minister Manikrao Kokate said Friday, triggering sharp reactions from farm outfits and opposition parties.
The minister, an NCP MLA from Nashik, was answering a query on the Re 1 crop insurance scheme after a meeting in Amravati.
Kokate, however, clarified there was no plan to discontinue the scheme, but changes would be made to plug loopholes. “Govt rejected 4 lakh insurance claim applications. These may have been turned down because of erroneous entries. The scheme has been beneficial, but it was turned into a scam by certain elements.”
Former Congress president Nana Patole said, “The Mahayuti govt must apologise to farmers. What was promised for Re 1 is now being hiked 100 times. And the agriculture minister is insulting farmers by comparing them with beggars.” Later, Kokate said his statement was “misinterpreted and distorted”, and he was “only talking about irregularities by outside companies”.
Maharashtra govt introduced a crop insurance scheme for a rupee in 2023.
Earlier, farmers had to shell out around Rs 750 to Rs 1,100 a hectare towards premium, which is now borne by the state. A spokesperson of Swabhimani Shetkari Paksha said Vidarbha is already dogged by farm suicides and such statements can aggravate the situation. Activist Vijay Jawandhia said, “Charging one rupee is also a mere formality. Govt should make it free, and applications should go directly from the talati’s office. Now, farmers depend on community service centres to fill up their forms. Direct applications will do away with fraud.” A former director of a govt task force on agrarian crisis said, “Even if the insurance is being offered for a rupee, not many claims are being granted, ultimately benefiting insurance companies.”