BSB scheme: State pushes for faster crop insurance payouts

Kolkata: State Agriculture minister Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay on Thursday directed the insurance provider associated with the Bangla Shashya Bima (BSB) scheme to mobilise staff up to the block level within two days to expedite the disbursal of insurance amounts to farmers.

At present, the insurance provider operates only up to the Gram Panchayat level.

Chattopadhyay held a virtual review meeting on the BSB scheme from Nabanna, which was attended by concerned officials from all districts.

The meeting took place in the backdrop of the application receipt process for BSB having commenced two days earlier.

“Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has directed that no farmer who has incurred losses should be left out of the BSB benefits. I have instructed wide publicity through banners, flexes, and miking at crowded places to ensure that affected farmers apply for insurance,” the minister said.

Howrah, Hooghly, West Midnapore, Murshidabad and Jalpaiguri are the districts that have suffered the maximum agricultural damage.

The minister also instructed that as soon as floodwaters recede, surveys should be conducted to assess whether affected land is suitable for the same crop. “If the land is found unfit, we are ready to provide seedlings for alternative cultivation,” he added. The crop insurance amount is determined based on satellite data acquired by the National Remote Sensing Centre of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), a system introduced during the 2020 Kharif season. A joint inspection is carried out by officials of the Agriculture department and the insurance provider after satellite imaging, based on which the compensation is disbursed.

The BSB scheme is entirely free for farmers, with the state government bearing the full premium cost. It covers crop losses suffered during planting, cultivation, the post-harvest period when crops lie in the field and due to adverse weather conditions.