Every bite that we devour, is made of a farmer’s hard work, patience and tears. Our farmers diligently toil in the fields to produce nourishing meals for us. And what they get in return? They get paid far less than they deserve for their crops. They get injured when working with various tools and machines. The crops fall prey to extreme climatic conditions. All in all, being a farmer is a difficult job. While we can’t reduce the burden on farmers, we surely can reward them for their drudgery. Over the years, farmers in Rajasthan have enjoyed the fruits of their labor, in the form of Kisan Credit Cards, soil health cards, interest-free loans and damage compensation. Now, the Rajasthan government will provide an accident claim cover that is condign for what they deserve.
On the government’s directions, the Rajasthan Cooperative Department has decided to raise the individual accidental claim of native farmers to Rs 10 lakhs, as opposed to Rs 6 lakhs earlier. The accidental insurance will cover the spouse of farmers. State cooperative minister Ajay Singh Kilak made the announcement this week. The occasion was the inauguration of a new storage facility in Ajmer district. The natives were celebrating International Day of Co-operatives at Narwar Village that falls under the Srinagar Panchayat Samiti.
Currently, all farmers in Rajasthan get a personal insurance cover worth Rs 6 lakh for accidental injuries. The government was planning to raise the budget for this scheme since a long time. The idea was to extend the benefits of the insurance to the farmer’s spouse. They’ve successfully insured 25 lakh farmers under this scheme. They aim to reach the 40-lakh mark before 2020.
Further, the minister explained other farmer-oriented schemes and their benefits. Rajasthan farmers get easy, interest-free crop loans without collateral security. Till date, 16 lakh farmers were benefitted by this scheme. Rajasthan Cooperative Societies offered loans worth Rs. 7 crores to the farmers. Local farmers can avail a long-term loan of Rs 10-20 lakh under the Kisan Welfare Scheme run by the Cooperative societies. Long-term loans are given at the annual interest rate of 7.10%. Kilak encouraged the farmers to avail the benefits of this scheme.
He instructed the cooperative department to operate mini supermarkets alongside cooperative societies so they can supply top-quality products in rural areas.
