Govt of India's PM crop insurance thrust a "scam" to help corporate sector: Analysis on "increase" in agro budget

By Our Representative
Even as the Government of India is seeking to portray the 2018-19 budget as pro-farmer, a civil society analysis has alleged that the Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers' Welfare allocation by 11.58%, from Rs. 41,855 crore in 2017-18 to Rs. 46,700 crore in 2018-19, is mainly aimed at helping the corporate sector.
Prepared by the Delhi Solidarity Group (DSG), it says that the bulk of this year’s budgetary increase comes from the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), a crop insurance scheme. Its allocations were increased by Rs. 4,000 crore -- a 44% increase which is over 82% of the total departmental budgetary increase.
Calling it an insurance scam, DSG alleges, "Though robust crop insurance is a necessity in monsoon dependent agriculture, PMFBY’s structural and operational peculiarities seem to facilitate an almost criminal transference of public funds from the exchequer to private coffers."
Thus, it says, the scheme's "option to bid on an annual basis has allowed private insurance companies to take up the scheme only when a favourable monsoon (leaving public insurance companies to deal with the lean years) is predicted and at the same time charge exorbitantly."
"In fact", DSG says, the July 2017 data indicate that "insurers, mostly private made a windfall of roughly 16,700 crore. Eleven general insurance companies over the 2016 Kharif and Rabi seasons collected Rs 20,374 crore as premium but paid out only Rs. 3,655 crore as claims, which in itself constitutes only 63% of the claims submitted."
Insisting that PMFBY should be "actually classified under corporate subsidies", DSG says, what makes matters worse is "the scheme entails mandatory crop insurance for farmers cultivating particular crops in select states", with the farmer paying a "subsidised rate of premium, limited by the scheme, with government bearing the balance."
Says DSG, even the Comptroller and Auditor General's (CAG’s) Peformance Audit on Agricultural Insurance (Report No. 7) of 2017, which is highly critical of PMFBY, notes that two-thirds of the farmers surveyed during audit were not aware of the schemes.
Interestingly, the emphasis on PMFBY has come about at a time when, says DSG, the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS), which entails interest subsidy for short term loans to farmers, has been allowed to remain stagnant since 2016-17 at Rs 15000 crore. "Despite repeated pleas by farmers' groups, the government has refused to increase the coverage beyond Rs 3 lakh limit."
According to DSG, referring to PMFBY, "97% of the farmers had opted for sum insured equivalent to loan amount they already had under NAIS, indicating that either farmers were intent on covering the loan amount only", with the PMFBY virtually becoming a "loan insurance rather than as crop insurance scheme."
CAG's audit report on PMFBY, says DSG, also notes that "no data of sharecroppers and tenant farmers was maintained despite the fact that the guidelines provided for their coverage under the schemes", adding, " Coverage of small and marginal farmers under the schemes was very low compared to the population of farmers."
DSG further says, referring to CAG report, "Despite provision of large amount of funds under the schemes to private insurance companies, there was no provision for audit by CAG", adding, "There were delays in issue of notifications, receipt of declaration from Bank/FIs within cut-off dates, delays in receipt of yield data from state governments, delay in processing of claims, and irregularities in disbursement of claims by Bank/FIs to farmers’ accounts."

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Allow international human rights observers, media to access Kashmir: US lawmakers

Counterview Desk
In a letter to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, two members of the American Congress, Pramila Jayapal and James McGovern, raising "significant concerns" about what they call "humanitarian and human rights crisis in Jammu & Kashmir”, quoting "credible reports" from journalists and advocates on the ground" have said that "the Indian government has detained thousands of people with no recourse, imposed de facto curfews on residents' and cut off internet and telephone access in the region.”

Rescind Gates Foundation award to Modi, demand three Nobel Peace laureates

Counterview Desk
In a major boost to those opposing the award to the Gates Foundation’s proposed to be awarded to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, three Nobel Peace Prize laureates, Mairead Maguire (1976), Tawakkol Abdel-Salam Karman (2011) and Shirin Ebadi (2003), have in an open letter called upon Milinda and Bill Gates to withdraw their decision, stating Modi is allegedly involved in human rights violations.

Gujarat's incomplete canals: Narmada dam filled up, yet benefits 'won't reach' farmers

By Our Representative
Even as the Gujarat government is making all out efforts to fill up the Sardar Sarovar dam on Narmada river up to the full reservoir level (FRL), a senior farmer rights leader has said the huge reservoir, as of today, remains a “mirage for the farmers of Gujarat”.
In a statement, Sagar Rabari of the Khedut Ekta Manch (KEM), has said that though the dam’s reservoir is being filled up, the canal network remains complete. Quoting latest government figures, he says, meanwhile, the command area of the dam has been reduced from 18,45,000 hectares (ha) to 17,92,000 ha.
“According to the website of the Sardar Sarovar Narmada Nigam Ltd, which was last updated on Friday, while the main canal, of 458 km long, has been completed, 144 km of ranch canals out of the proposed length of 2731 km remain incomplete.
Then, as against the targeted 4,569 km distributaries, 4,347 km have been constructed, suggesting work for 222 km is still pending. And of the 15,670 km of minor canal…

Now clampdown on rally, arrest of pro-freedom activists in Pak-occupied Kashmir

Counterview Desk
In a fresh evidence, international human rights organizations are not just confining their attention on the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir (J&K), whose special status was taken away by the Government of India in early August, leading to an unprecedented clampdown on the region. They have simultaneously begun focusing on the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), where the situation is said to be worsening.
Thus, the International Human Rights Council ((IHRC) Hong Kong (HK), a top human rights organisation, said to be working towards to the promotion peace, equality, fundamental rights and social justice “as enunciated in the UN Human Rights Charter and other instruments of human rights”, has noted now a new wave of independence movement has struck PoK. With offices in US, UK, Switzerland and Hong Kong, and having Kirity Roy and Lenin Raghuvanshi as IHRC office bearers from India, in a statement, it has claimed that on September 7 one of the biggest pro-Independenc…

Ceramic worker dies: 20,000 workers in Thangadh, Gujarat, 'risk' deadly silicosis

Even as the country was busy preparing for the Janmashtami festival on Saturday, Hareshbhai, a 46-year-old ceramic worker from suffering from the fatal lung disease silicosis, passed away. He worked in a ceramic unit in Thangadh in Surendranagar district of Gujarat from 2000 to 2016.
Hareshbhai was diagnosed with the disease by the GCS Medical College, Naroda Road, Ahmedabad in 2014. He was found to be suffering from progressive massive fibrosis. He is left behind by his wife Rekha sister and two sons Deepak (18) and Umesh (12),
The death of Hareshbhai, says Jagdish Patel of the health rights group Peoples Training and Research Centre (PTRC), suggests that silicosis, an occupational disease, can be prevented but not cured, and the Factory Act has sufficient provisions to prevent this.
According to Patel, the pottery industry in the industrial town of Thangadh has evolved for a long time and locals as well as migrant workers are employed here. There are about 180 units in in the to…

Bullet train impact report Japan agency property: Govt of India tells Gujarat NGO

The National High Speed Rail Corporation Limited (NHSRCL) has told Gujarat-based environmental organization, Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti (PSS) that the detailed report of Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) representatives on their visit to Gujarat and Maharashtra assess the impact of the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project on farmers is not its property, but that of JICA.

NHSRCL letter to PSS, signed by activists Rohit Prajapati, Krishnakant and Swati Desai, comes following the latter’s request to it on June 10 for the report. PSS was one of the NGOs that represented JICA on the project, saying, if implemented, it would adversely impact farmers, even as pointing towards the fact that the project itself is unviable and Indian Railways needs to invest, instead, more on upgrading the present railway infrastructure.
Following the NHSRCL reply, PSS has shot a second letter to JICA, insisting that the latter should share a copy of the report, even as providing details of the …

Karma tribal festival an occasional to campaign for tribal rights: IPMSDL

By Our Representative
The International Indigenous Peoples Movement for Self Determination and Liberation (IPMSDL), in a solidarity statement has suggested that the current Karam festival of Central India -- which seeks to promote sisterhood, friendship, cultural unity, and closer link to nature -- should be the occasion to campaign against alleged efforts to violently drive away forest dwelling communities from their forest homes.
"Millions are threatened to lose lands and livelihood under the implementation of Forest Rights Act (FRA) of 2006", the statement States, adding, "As corporate interests continues to enter tribal territories and extract profit from its natural resources, indigenous people are pushed to further marginalization and discrimination."
Asserting that indigenous movement in India "remains steadfast in keeping their culture, deeply linked to their lands alive by carrying out their heritage and struggles", IPMSDL, even as extending "…

US Air Force expert smells regional security threat following Chandrayaan mission

Counterview Desk
A United States Air Force expert, writing on India’s Chandrayaan -2 mission, has expressed the apprehension that Indian moon probe’s “failure” won’t stop an Asian space race that “threatens regional security.” Affiliated with the US Air Force School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Wendy Whitman Cobb, who is Professor of Strategy and Security Studies, believes like other space powers, India may be “seeking to improve its technology”, but advances can “also bring greater security concerns.”
Currently, admits Cobb, “These efforts have been primarily civilian and peaceful in nature.” However, India’s turn toward the military uses of space, so much so that lately it has been developing its own military satellites providing services such as remote sensing, tracking and communications “with greater frequency” has begun to “concern” the neighbours.
In her disclosure statement to an article published in the e-journal “The Conversation” Cobb, however, states that whatever…

Historic Chikhalda, temples, mosques submerged, activists 'rescue' Gandhi idol

By Medha Patkar
The first farmer of Asia was born in Chikhalda, if one is to believe archaeological researchers. A historic village, 50 percent of its population is of Hindus and 50 percent of Muslims, yet it has always remained peaceful. Chikhalda has struggled to save water, land and people along Narmada river.

South Gujarat wastewater carrying pipeline damaged, 'harming' farmlands

By Our Representative
The pipeline carrying industrial wastewater to the Gulf of Khambhat from Jhagadia industrial estate in Bharuch district has been found to have damaged for the eighth time over the last one and a half months. The crack, says a local environmental organisation, has occurred at Hansot, endangering agricultural farms.

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