A scam bigger than Rafale”: P. Sainath on Modi government’s Fasal Bima Yojana https://ecologise.in/2018/11/09/fasal-bima-yojana-a-bigger-scam-than-rafale-says-p-sainath/ 9th November 2018,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government’s crop insurance schemes for farmers is a bigger scam than even the Rafale scam, said renowned journalist and farmers issue activist P. Sainath.
“Some 2.80 lakh farmers sowed soya in their farms. In a district, the farmers paid a premium of Rs 19.2 crore, the state government and the central governments paid Rs 77 crore each, amounting to a total of Rs 173 crore, which was paid to Reliance insurance.
“The entire crop failed and the insurance company paid out the claims. Reliance paid Rs 30 crore in one district, giving it a total net profit of Rs 143 crore without investing a single rupee. Now multiply this amount to each of the districts it has been entrusted,” he said.
On the other hand, there are also concerns about the farmers, especially the tenant farmers.
“For the last 20 years, everyday 2,000 farmers are leaving farming. There is a steep decline in the farmers owning land and rise in farmers becoming tenants. About 86 per cent land owning farmers and 80 per cent tenant farmers are in debt,” added the senior journalist.
“Gradually we are farmers are losing farming to corporates.