Modi wants 50 pc farmers under crop insurance

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday gave a call for bringing at least 50 per cent of the country’s farmers under coverage of the crop insurance scheme, which was recently launched by the Centre.

He also made a strong pitch for promotion of Khadi and appealed to people to have at least one set of Khadi clothing in their wardrobe, to help those engaged in making Khadi products to earn their livelihood.

Modi was addressing the nation on his “Mann ki Baat” monthly radio programme. This was first radio address under the series for this year.

“Can we take a pledge that we should connect at least 50 per cent of the farmers to this scheme in two years? I need this help from you. Because, if a farmer joins the scheme, he will get a huge help during a natural calamity,” Modi said.

He appealed to the people for “helping” government in taking “Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna” (Prime Minister’s Crop Insurance Scheme) to the country’s farmers and made a veiled attack on the initiatives taken by previous governments, lamenting that not more than 20 to 25 per cent of farmers could become beneficiaries of crop insurance scheme being talked about for last several years. “In our country, a lot is said in the name of farmers. I don’t want to get involved in that debate. But farmers face a major crisis. During natural calamities, their entire effort goes waste. His one year goes waste. To give him security, only one thing comes to mind and that is crop insurance,” the prime minister said.