Ahmedabad, Sep 20 (PTI) The Gujarat government on Thursday doubled the monetary assistance given to a farmer or his kin in case of death or disability caused by an accident under the state-run Farmers' Accident Insurance Scheme.

If a farmer suffers a permanent disability or dies in an accident, he or his relatives would now get Rs 2 lakh instead of the present provision of Rs 1 lakh, said Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel in Gandhinagar.

A farmer will also be entitled to get Rs 1 lakh instead of Rs 50,000 if he loses one eye or one limb in an accident, he said.

The insurance scheme covers over 2.5 crore farmers who own agricultural land in the state.

Patel also announced that the government will pay the entire premium of the scheme -- around Rs 70 crore -- on behalf of farmers.

The scheme covers accidents which take place in the course of agriculture-related activities, such as electrocution, falling into a well or an attack by wild animals, he said.

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