Gandhinagar, Mar 3 (PTI) The opposition Congress on Monday demanded that the Gujarat government float a new scheme as an alternative to the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, which it has discontinued, claiming farmers were suffering because of it.

Responding to the demand, State Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai informed the legislative assembly that the state government has paid Rs 1,162 crore in compensation to farmers who suffered crop losses due to heavy rains during monsoon this financial year.

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He sought the approval of the House for a supplementary demand of Rs 1,249 crore towards "compensation for natural calamities".

Speaking on his cut motion, senior Congress MLA Shailesh Parmar demanded the state government introduce a "Chief Minister Crop Insurance Scheme", as the state had already discontinued Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana in 2020.

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"Farmers have been hit badly due to unseasonal rains at regular intervals. We used to have Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. But, it has been discontinued. Hence, we demand that the state government introduce 'CM Crop Insurance scheme' for farmers," Parmar said.

To this, Desai said the state government, as per the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms, paid a compensation of Rs 1,162 crore to nearly 7.95 lakh farmers in 27 districts hit by heavy rains in July, August and September 2024.

"In addition, we have announced a compensation of Rs 429.21 crore for cotton cultivators and Rs 44 crore for paddy farmers hit by erratic monsoon. I have moved a supplementary demand of Rs 1,249 crore for the current fiscal. I hope other parties will support our move," he said.

The Congress withdrew its cut motion after the minister's response and request.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)