**Executive Summary**
This document is a response to Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 339 regarding the performance of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in Kerala, to be answered on December 2nd, 2025. The response provides data on farmer enrollment, area insured, claims paid, and pending claims from 2022-23 to 2024-25. It also details steps taken to improve the scheme's implementation, transparency, and claim settlement.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Performance Data (2022-2025):**
* Total farmer applications insured: 5,40,296
* Total area insured: 2.22 Lakh Ha
* Total claims paid: Rs. 345.14 Crore
* Total claims pending: Rs. 12.17 Crore
* Detailed breakdown of the above numbers for each year (2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25) is provided.
* **Government Initiatives for Improvement:**
* Regular monitoring through video conferences and National Review Conferences.
* Continuous review and revisions to the crop insurance schemes based on stakeholder feedback.
* Development of the National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) for data management, subsidy payment, and direct online enrollment of farmers.
* Operationalization of the 'Digiclaim Module' for faster claim disbursal, integrated with NCIP and the Public Finance Management System (PFMS).
* Delinking Central and State Government premium subsidy shares for proportionate claim distribution.
* Penalty of 12% levied on insurance companies for delayed payments (effective Kharif 2024) and on State Governments for delayed premium subsidy payments.
* Leveraging technology, including the CCE-Agri App for yield data and integration of State land records with NCIP, to improve claim settlements.
* Implementation of YES-TECH (Yield Estimation System Based on Technology) from 2023-24.
* Implementation of WINDS (Weather Information Network and Data System) for hyper-local weather data collection.
**Impact Analysis**
**Farmers:**
* **Impact:** Affected by the efficiency and transparency of the PMFBY scheme, particularly in terms of timely claim settlements, access to accurate information, and ease of enrollment. The implementation of new technologies (YES-TECH, WINDS) aims to improve yield estimation and loss assessment.
* **Action Required:** Farmers should utilize the NCIP for enrollment and information, cooperate with data collection efforts (e.g., providing accurate land records), and remain informed about changes to the scheme's operational guidelines.
**Insurance Companies:**
* **Impact:** Subject to increased scrutiny and penalties for delayed claim settlements. Expected to integrate with the NCIP and PFMS for efficient claim processing and to adopt new technologies for yield estimation.
* **Action Required:** Insurance companies need to streamline their claim processing systems, integrate with NCIP and PFMS, ensure timely payments, and implement new technologies like YES-TECH.
**State Government (Kerala):**
* **Impact:** Responsible for timely premium subsidy payments and integration of state land records with the NCIP. Subject to penalties for delays in subsidy payments.
* **Action Required:** The State Government should prioritize timely premium subsidy payments, integrate land records with NCIP, and collaborate with central authorities to ensure effective scheme implementation.
**Central Government:**
* **Impact:** Responsible for continuous monitoring, review, and improvement of the PMFBY scheme.
* **Action Required:** Ensure consistent implementation of the PMFBY scheme.
Key Entities Referenced
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): Crop insurance scheme providing financial support to farmers suffering crop loss/damage arising out of unforeseen events.
Kerala: State in India where the performance of PMFBY is being discussed.
Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare: The central government ministry responsible for implementing PMFBY.
National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP): Single source of data for PMFBY, ensuring subsidy payment, coordination, transparency and information dissemination.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 339
TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 02ND DECEMBER, 2025
PERFORMANCE OF PMFBY IN KERALA
339. DR. SHASHI THAROOR:
Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एवं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण मं(cid:287)ी
be pleased to state:
(a) the total number of farmers enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana
(PMFBY) in Kerala during the last three financial years and the total area insured under
the scheme in the State;
(b) the total amount of claims paid to farmers in Kerala under PMFBY during the same
period, and the number of claims pending settlement as of the latest available data;
(c) whether the Government has conducted any assessment of the implementation of
PMFBY in Kerala, including evaluation of crop loss estimation methods, premium payment
timelines, grievance redressal mechanisms and farmer awareness levels and if so, the
details of the findings thereof; and
(d) whether any steps are being taken to address challenges such as delayed claim
settlement, limited insurer participation, low coverage among small and marginal farmers
and if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE
कृ(cid:874)ष एवं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य मं(cid:287)ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR)
(a) & (b) : Details of total number of farmers enrolled, area insured, claims paid and claims
pending during last three years i.e. from 2022-23 to 2024-25 in Kerala under Pradhan
Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) are given below :
Year Farmer Applications Area Insured Claims Paid Claims Pending
Insured (In No.) (In Lakh Ha)
(Rs. In Crore)
2022-23 1,46,546 0.69 180.33 2.64
2023-24 1,74,102 0.73 164.81 9.53
2024-25 2,19,648 0.80 - -
Total 5,40,296 2.22 345.14 12.17(c) & (d) : Department is regularly monitoring the functioning of the scheme, including
timely settlement of claims through weekly video conferences of all stakeholders, one to
one meeting as well as National Review Conferences.
Further, the review/revisions / rationalization / improvements in the crop insurance
schemes is a continuous process and decision on suggestion/ representations/
recommendations of the stakeholders/studies are taken from time to time. Based on the
experience gained, views of various stakeholders and with a view to ensure better
transparency, accountability, timely payment of claims to the farmers and to make the
scheme more farmer friendly, Government has periodically revised the Operational
Guidelines of the PMFBY comprehensively to ensure that the eligible benefits under the
scheme reach the farmers timely and transparently.
Government has taken various steps to strengthen implementation of this scheme
all over India including Kerala State to bring transparency and ensure timely settlement of
claims:
Government has undertaken development of National Crop Insurance Portal
(NCIP) as a single source of data ensuring subsidy payment, co-ordination,
transparency, dissemination of information and delivery of services including
direct online enrollment of farmers, uploading/obtaining individual insured
famer’s details for better monitoring and to ensure transfer of claim amount
electronically to the individual farmer’s Bank Account.
In order to rigorously monitor claim disbursal process, a dedicated module
namely ‘Digiclaim Module’ has been operationalized for payment of claims from
Kharif 2022 onwards. It involves integration of NCIP with Public Finance
Management System (PFMS) and accounting system of Insurance Companies
to provide timely & transparent processing of all claims.
Delinking of Central Government share of premium subsidy from that of State
Governments has been implemented so that farmers can get proportionate
claims relating to the Central Government share.
As per the Operational Guidelines of PMFBY, in case payment is not made timely
by Insurance Company, a penalty of 12% is auto-calculated and levied through
National Crop Insurance Portal (NCIP) w.e.f. Kharif 2024.
Similarly, if State Government delayed its premium subsidy from stipulated time
period, a penalty of 12% is to be paid by them also.
Also, towards leveraging technology in implementation of the scheme, various
steps like capturing of yield data/Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) data through
CCE-Agri App & uploading it on the NCIP, allowing insurance companies to
witness the conduct of CCEs, integration of State land records with NCIP etc.
have already been taken to improve timely settlement of the claims to farmers.Following technologies for Objective Crop Damage & Loss Assessment and
transparency have also been implemented w.e.f. 2023-24 under the scheme:
i. YES-TECH (Yield Estimation System Based on Technology) for gradual
migration to Remote-Sensing based yield estimation to help assess yields as well
as fair and accurate Crop Yield Estimation. This initiative has been launched for
paddy & wheat crops from Kharif 2023 wherein 30% weightage to yield estimation
will mandatorily be assigned to YES-TECH derived yield. Soybean crop has been
added from Kharif 2024 season.
ii. WINDS (Weather Information Network and Data System) for setting up of
Network of Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) & Automatic Rain-Gauges (ARG) to
the tune of 5 times of existing network for collecting hyper-local weather data at GP
& Block level. This will be fed into a National database with interoperability &
sharing of data in coordination with India Meteorological Department (IMD). WINDS
provides data not only for YES-TECH but also for effective drought & disaster
management, accurate weather prediction and offering better parametric insurance
products.
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