Jaipur, February 16 Rajasthan Agriculture Minister Kirodi Lal Meena said on Monday that serious irregularities by insurance companies have come to light in several districts under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, and assured the Assembly that the matter would be investigated by the Special Operations Group (SOG).
Responding to supplementary questions during Question Hour, Meena said that instances of fraud involving banks and insurance firms had deprived farmers of their rightful compensation for crop losses.
He cited an inspection in Karanpur in Sri Ganganagar district, where an insurance company surveyor allegedly signed intimation forms on behalf of farmers, agriculture supervisors, and revenue officials. He said that out of 1.70 lakh forms examined, 32,000 showed zero per cent crop damage despite actual losses ranging between 50 and 70 per cent, causing an estimated loss of Rs 128 crore to farmers.
An FIR has been registered in Rawla in this connection, and an investigation is underway, the minister said, adding that a private insurance company has been found prima facie responsible. He urged the Centre not to award further tenders to the firm.
The minister further alleged a separate fraud in Salasar, where 71 bank accounts were opened in State Bank of India using fake documents in farmers' names to facilitate premium deductions. This irregularity could have led to wrongful payments of around Rs 9 crore from the state and central governments. An FIR has also been filed in this case, he said.
Irregularities have also been reported from Sanchore, Jalore, Churu, Nagaur, and Bikaner districts, besides instances of underreporting of crop damage in the Shergarh assembly constituency, the minister said.
Meena informed the House that the current government has paid crop insurance claims worth Rs 6,328 crore for the rabi and kharif seasons, including Rs 188 crore pending from the previous regime.
In Shergarh alone, claims worth Rs 42.62 lakh for 659 eligible farmers from Kharif 2020 to Rabi 2024-25 are pending due to issues such as non-verification of bank accounts or Aadhaar details, failed NEFT transactions, and the death of insured farmers, he said.
District collectors have been directed to expedite the verification of bank accounts, Aadhaar, and succession certificates to ensure early payment, Meena added.