PM unveils operational guidelines for Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana; addresses massive farmers' rally in Sehore

Digital Platform for National Agriculture Market to be launched on Babasaheb Ambedkar's birth anniversary on April 14th

The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, today unveiled the operational guidelines for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana at a massive farmers' rally in Sehore in Madhya Pradesh.

Explaining the benefits of this comprehensive crop insurance scheme to the farmers, the Prime Minister said it can provide a solution for the farmers problems, in times of difficulty. He said care had been taken to eliminate the shortcomings of previous crop insurance schemes, and create trust among farmers with regard to crop insurance. He said technology would be used extensively with this scheme to ensure early settlement of claims, and exhorted farmers to take benefit of this scheme.

The Prime Minister outlined several other initiatives that have been taken by the Union Government for the welfare of farmers. He mentioned the steps taken to clear the pending dues of the sugarcane farmers, which had mounted to many thousands of crore rupees.

Speaking about the Digital India movement, the Prime Minister said welfare of the farmers is at the core of this initiative. He announced the launch of the digital platform - National Agriculture Market – from the 14th of April, 2016, on the birth anniversary of Babasaheb Ambedkar. This would enable farmers to get a better price for their produce.

The Prime Minister also mentioned other major initiatives taken in the agriculture sector, such as the soil health card scheme, the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojana, organic farming, and ensuring adequate availability of urea.

Shri Narendra Modi congratulated the farmers of Madhya Pradesh, and the Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Shri Shivraj Singh Chauhan, for the State's excellent performance in the agriculture sector.

The Prime Minister also gave away soil health cards, and settlement certificates for insurance claims to select beneficiaries.