From Our Special Correspondent

Daijiworld Media Network

Bengaluru, Nov 27: The Congress party has alleged that the tall claims under Prime Minister Narendra Modi regime’s crop insurance scheme have fallen flat and that the Modi government has `looted worth thousands of crore of rupees insurance amount collected from farmers.’

Addressing presspersons in Bengaluru on Tuesday, Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KCC) Kisan Cell President Sachin Meega demanded that the BJP government should stop looting farmers and shedding crocodile tears for the welfare of farmers.

After releasing a CD containing alleged crop insurance fraud by the Modi government, the Congress leader said misappropriation of funds under the farmers’ crop insurance scheme by the Central government involved more than Rs 15,000 crore.

He alleged that the Fasal Bheema Yojana scheme was introduced for the benefit of Adani and Reliance Group proprietors and not the farmers. 

“Out of the total insurance premium of Rs 20,000 crore collected in 2014-15, only Rs 5000 crore had been given to farmers for their crop loss. Where is the rest of the money gone,’’ he asked.

Crores of money collected in the form of crop insurance premium in Karnataka for the last three years has been looted by the Centre, he alleged.

He demanded a high level probe into the insurance scheme of the Modi government and alleged that crop insurance firms withdrew premium several times more than the compensation provided by companies to farmers for losses on Kharif and Rabi crops in the last couple of years.

Pointing out that this kind of scam had not occurred anywhere in the country till now, the Congress leader said the scam was bigger than Rafale deal with the France Government.

The BJP government should stop looting farmers in the name of crop insurance, Meega said.

He alleged that the Union Agriculture Ministry has been turning a blind eye to the rampant corruption in the name of crop insurance meant to provide relief to farmers.