Former CM Bommai seeks relaxation in crop insurance rules as ‘farmers pushed out of insurance net’

BENGALURU: Former Chief Minister and Haveri-Gadag MP Basavaraj Bommai on Wednesday wrote a formal letter to Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, urging the state government to relax the strict rules surrounding the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Restructured Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS).

He highlighted that a new government rule mandating both loanee and non-loanee farmers to compulsorily submit a ‘Self-Declaration Letter’ has put farmers in a severe spot. Citing official correspondence from the Karnataka Commissioner of Agriculture and the Union Government, Bommai expressed deep concern in his letter that these newly introduced rules could completely push small and marginalised farmers out of the protective net of crop insurance.

In his letter, the former Chief Minister identified 17 key technical and procedural issues that he claimed could push vulnerable farmers out of the protective net of crop insurance.

ಪ್ರಧಾನ ಮಂತ್ರಿ ಫಸಲ್ ಬಿಮಾ ಯೋಜನೆ (PMFBY) ಮತ್ತು ಪುನರ್ರಚಿತ ಹವಾಮಾನ ಆಧಾರಿತ ಬೆಳೆ ವಿಮೆ ಯೋಜನೆ (RWBCIS) ಅಡಿಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾಲ ಪಡೆಯದ ರೈತರಿಗೆ (Non-Loanee Farmers) ಕಡ್ಡಾಯಗೊಳಿಸಲಾಗಿರುವ ‘ಸ್ವಯಂ ಘೋಷಣಾ ಪತ್ರ’ ಸಲ್ಲಿಕೆ ಆದೇಶಕ್ಕೆ ರೈತರಿಂದ ತೀವ್ರ ಆಕ್ಷೇಪ ವ್ಯಕ್ತವಾಗಿದೆ. ಈ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಈ ನಿಯಮವನ್ನು ಸಡಿಲಿಸುವಂತೆ ಕೇಂದ್ರ… pic.twitter.com/PV0dgyNT92

— Basavaraj S Bommai (@BSBommai) July 15, 2026

He pointed out that minor typos made by cyber centre operators during data entry are being labelled as ‘false declarations’, leading to the outright rejection of claims. He further alleged that insurance companies are “penalising farmers for banks’ negligence,” where banks fail to update loan repayment statuses in their software, causing farmers to be wrongly accused of misrepresentation.

“Insurance companies are seizing premiums and forfeiting compensation by dragging out verification till the end of the season, only to deny claims on technical grounds at the last minute,” Bommai noted. He also flagged the “misexploitation of Joint Khata records,” noting that if one family member has a loan, insurance companies are declaring other joint holders ineligible as “non-loanees,” effectively betraying the farmers by linking a single loan to an entire survey number.

The letter also highlighted the “Double Loan Dilemma” faced by those borrowing from both cooperative societies and nationalised banks, and the confusion during “Khata transfer delays” following a landowner’s death. Bommai also raised concerns over “Excuses over Crop Changes,” noting that when farmers sow low-moisture crops due to monsoon delays, insurance firms cite “Data Mismatch” to refuse payouts.

He also highlighted the difficulties faced by tenant farmers and non-resident landowners in securing necessary signatures for the self-declaration forms.

The letter also mentioned structural issues, including persistent server crashes on the National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) and the fear of legal action triggered by the strict warnings on the declaration forms. “Exasperated by these tedious and complicated procedures, many poor farmers are opting to skip crop insurance altogether, exposing themselves to catastrophic financial risks,” Bommai warned.

Pointing out these highly complex technical and procedural anomalies, Basavaraj Bommai has urged the state government to immediately simplify these rigid rules to protect the livelihood of the state’s farmers. (ANI)