Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): The state government on Saturday disbursed a total of Rs 7,618 crore to more than 49 lakh farmers towards crop insurance.
It was the biggest direct benefit transfer under the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said after initiating the online disbursal at Betul.
"This is a historic day. Rs 7,618 crore is the largest amount disbursed under the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme in the country," he said.
Earlier, Rs 2,876 crore had been deposited in farmers' accounts as compensation for crop failure, he said.
"So far, an assistance of Rs 10,494 crore has been released by the state government for the farmers," Chouhan added.
Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar participated in the program virtually.
Chouhan claimed that the previous Congress government had not paid the premium for crop insurance to insurance companies.
"As a result, farmers could not get insurance amount. The previous government did not even conduct a survey of crop failure," the chief minister alleged.
Union minister Tomar on this occasion stressed the importance of advanced technology and said drones can be used for farming. The Union government has already introduced a policy in this regard, he said.
