Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): Online Application, Eligibility, Benefits

Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana was launched in the year 20116 by the NDA government to replace the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme and modified NAIS. PMFBY is run by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in collaboration with the state governments. The scheme aims to cover 50% of the total crop area from the current coverage of 25-27%.

Benefits

The benefits of PMFBY are as follows.

• PMFBY combines all the previous agricultural insurance schemes active in the country. It was difficult to run and monitor many agricultural insurance schemes by the government. PMFBY solves this problem effectively.
• PMFBY provides financial support to farmers in the event of damage or loss of crops due to pests, diseases or natural calamities. Post harvest losses are also covered under the scheme. The scheme stabilises the income of farmers so that farming does not become untenable.
• The insurance premiums to be paid by the farmers are very low under PMFBY as opposed to the premium rates of previous insurance schemes. Under PMFBY, premium is 1.5% for Rabi crops and 2% for Kharif crops. For annual horticultural and commercial crops, the premium rate is 5%. Rest of the premium is paid by the government. Thus, even financially weak farmers can easily pay the premium.
• Capping of premium rates has been removed under PMFBY. This means that the farmers get full claim against the sum insured and there is no reduction in claim amount.
• Tax is not imposed on the premium amount paid by the farmer under the scheme.
• The PMFBY website and app contains a premium calculator. The premium calculator enables the farmer to calculate the exact premium amount that needs to be paid for the insurance.
• The claim amount is directly transferred by the government to the bank account of the farmer. Thus, there is no involvement of middlemen which prevent leakages.
• Swift settlement of claims is done using modern technology to assess crop damage. Technological tools include GPS, remote sensing, smart phones and drones.
• One insurance company covers a single state under this scheme.
• PMFBY enhances credit flow to the agriculture sector. Increased credit not only protects the farmers but also helps in improving food security and promoting crop diversification.
• PMFBY encourages farmers to adopt modern agricultural practices in sync with the modern world.

Eligibility

Farmers growing notified crops in notified areas who have an insurable interest in the cultivation are eligible for PMFBY. The other eligibility criteria are as follows.

• Both landholding and landless farmers are eligible for the scheme.
• Compulsory coverage for loanee farmers. Loanee farmers are those farmers who possess crop loan account to avail seasonal agricultural operations loans from financial institutes for the notified crops. The government can also decide bring other categories of farmers under compulsory coverage.
• Non loanee farmers are those who have not taken agricultural loans from banks and other financial institutes. PMFBY is optional for such farmers.
• Food crops such as cereals, pulses and millet, oil seeds and annual commercial/horticultural crops are covered under the scheme.

Required documents

The following documents are required by a farmer to apply for PMFBY.

• Land registration papers of the farmland. Irrespective of whether the farmer is the owner of the farmland or a tenant, the land registration papers need to be produced.
• Land ownership documents are required if the farmer is the owner of the farmland. The land ownership documents must establish that the land is registered under the applicant’s name.
• Identity proof documents such as copies of PAN card, ration card and voter id card are required.
• Copy of the Aadhar card.
• Details of the bank account through which claim money would be transferred to the farmer. This includes bank name, branch, account number, address, etc.
• Sowing declaration document in case of crop loss. This document details the investment put in by the farmers for sowing the crop and the amount the farmer has lost due to crop loss.

Process to apply

Farmers can apply for PMFBY through the online route. They need to follow the below mentioned steps.

• Go to the official website of PMFBY which is https://pmfby.gov.in/
• On the homepage, click on the tab named “Farmer Corner- Apply for Crop Insurance by yourself”
• A box with two options appear on the screen. In case of fresh application, you need to click on “Guest Farmer”
• A new page containing the registration form appears on the screen. Fill in the various details such as name, father’s name, gender, farmer type, farmer category, farmer id, bank details, etc. After filling in the details, you need to click on “ Create User” button.
• An OTP is received on the mobile number. After validating the mobile number by typing the OTP, you can proceed to fill in other details.
• The premium needs to be paid online after submitting the details. Payment can be made using net banking or credit/debit card.

Apart from the official website, the application can also be submitted through the PMFBY Android app. The app is available on Google PlayStore.

How to calculate premium online?

Farmers can easily calculate the premium amount by visiting https://pmfby.gov.in/ and following the below mentioned steps.

• On the homepage, click on the tab titled “Insurance Premium Calculator”
• A box appears in which you need to enter various details such as season of the crop, state, district, year, crop and scheme name.
• Click on “Calculate” button.
• The amount is displayed on the screen after calculation is completed.

How to check status online?

The process of checking the status of the application is very simple. You simply need to visit https://pmfby.gov.in/ and click on the tab titled “Application Status”. A box opens in which you need to enter your application number and type the captcha code. Click on “Check Status” button to get the status of your application.

How to register complaints?

In case of any complaint, grievance or doubt regarding PMFBY, the farmer can get it solved through the online route. The below mentioned steps need to be followed by the farmer.

• Visit https://pmfby.gov.in/
• Click on the tab titled “Complaints”
• A new box opens in which you need to enter your name, mobile number and email in the given fields. Write about your complaint in the comments box.
• Enter the captcha code and click on submit button.

Risks covered under PMFBY

The following types of risks are covered under PMFBY.

• Yield losses due to risks which cannot be prevented. These risks include natural fire, lighting, pests, diseases, floods, storm, hurricane, tempest, typhoon, tornado, cyclone, hailstorm, drought and dry spells.
• When the majority of insured farmers of a notified area incur expenditure for sowing the insured crop but are prevented from doing so due to adverse weather conditions, claims up to a maximum of 25% of the insured sum would be paid.
• Post harvest loss coverage for insured crops which are kept in cut and spread condition on the field after harvest. The coverage compensates the farmer in case of loss due to unseasonal rains or cyclone. The coverage period is for a maximum of 14 days from the date of harvest.
• Crop loss or damage caused by localised calamities such as landslides, hailstorms and flooding.