Parliament Question: Preparedness for El Nino and PMFBY

O.I.H GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3907 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 11th August, 2026 PREPAREDNESS FOR EL NINO AND PMFBY 3907. SHRI RAMASHANKAR VIDHARTHI RAJBHAR: Will the Minister of AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE be pleased to state: (a) the emergency measures taken by the Government to protect Kharif crops in view of the likely EI Nino situation; (b) the average time taken to settle insurance claims under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) during the last three years; (c) the special relief package proposed for rain-fed farmers of Deoria, Ballia and Purvanchal; and (d) whether the Government is contemplating to provide additional financial assistance for drought affected areas? ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE AND FARMERS WELFARE कृ(cid:874)ष एव ं (cid:873)कसान क(cid:227)याण रा(cid:207)य म(cid:287)ं ी (SHRI RAMNATH THAKUR) (a): The Government reviewed the preparedness for the Kharif season, including the likely impact of El Niño conditions, at the National Kharif Conference held on 28– 29 May 2026 with Agriculture Ministers and senior officials from States/UTs. The Conference reviewed crop planning, seed and fertilizer availability, water management and region-specific challenges, and advised States to strengthen preparedness through timely availability of critical inputs, efficient water management, close monitoring of weather conditions, dissemination of advisories to farmers, and implementation of contingency measures in coordination with IMD, ICAR and State Governments. Further, the Government has undertaken the following measures: (i) District Agriculture Contingency Plans (DACPs) have been updated for 15 States covering 342 Districts which are likely to receive below normal rainfall by the ICAR Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (ICAR-CRIDA) in consultation with the States for implementation. Further, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have also been issued by ICAR for Krishi Vigyan Kendras (KVKs) for mitigation of El Niño-related risks.(ii) Weekly meeting of the Crop Weather Watch Group (CWWG) is being held with the representatives of India Meteorological Department (IMD), Central Water Commission (CWC), Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), Mahalanobis National Crop Forecast Centre (MNCFC), Indian Council of Agriculture Research - Central Research Institute for Dryland Agriculture (ICAR - CRIDA), Department of Fertilizers, Department of Food & Public Distribution and the State Governments to review rainfall situation, reservoir storage, groundwater levels, crop sowing, input availability, market situation and pest/ disease incidence for timely intervention. Meeting with State Agriculture Secretaries and Relief Commissioners held under the chairmanship of Secretary (DA&FW) on 27.04.2026 to review availability of inputs like seeds, fodder, drinking & irrigation water, fertilizers and general preparedness. Further, a meeting of the Crisis Management Group had been conducted on 17.06.2026 to assess and strengthen preparedness for the monsoon. In addition, the National Disaster Management Authority has also reviewed the preparedness of below-normal rainfall conditions emanating from the likely impact of the El Nino conditions on 19th June 2026. Review of the situation has been undertaken by the Agriculture Minister, Government of India with the State Agriculture Ministers for Kharif preparedness amid El Nino conditions on 23.06.2026. (iii) Adequate availability of seeds has been ensured, against the demand of 172.80 lakh quintals from the States, there was availability of 192.25 lakh quintals of Kharif crop seeds. States have maintained 1% seeds i.e. 1.74 Lakh quintals as National Seed Reserve. (iv) Special emphasis has been laid on promoting crop diversification, promotion of short-duration and drought-tolerant crop varieties, balanced use of fertilizers, water conservation practices, micro-irrigation, mulching, inter-cropping and practices of other climate-resilient technologies. (v) A nationwide Khet Bachao Abhiyaan was organised during 1-30 June, 2026 in which 80,67,300 farmers participated in 1,14,567 programmes which were organised to promote water conservation, introduce efficient irrigation and climate-resilient farming practices. Simultaneously, an intensive Kisan Credit Card (KCC) saturation drive is being implemented in the vulnerable districts.(vi) Government has been implementing the yield-based Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the weather index-based Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) since Kharif 2016 to provide financial support to farmers against crop losses arising from natural calamities and adverse weather events, thereby stabilizing farm income. PMFBY provides comprehensive insurance coverage from pre-sowing to post-harvest against widespread and localized risks. The schemes are voluntary for States/UTs and farmers, with implementation based on districts and crops notified by the concerned State Governments. In the identified vulnerable districts, awareness and enrolment drives are also being undertaken to enhance insurance coverage. (vii) The Central Water Commission and State Governments have been advised to undertake advance planning for optimum utilization of reservoir water and promote efficient irrigation practices. Assistance to farmers is available through ongoing schemes such as Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana: Per Drop More Crop (PDMC) with a focus on enhancing water-use efficiency at the farm level through installation of Micro-Irrigation systems. Department of Rural Development is utilising Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB G Ram G) funds for rejuvenating water structures – such as farm ponds, check dams, canal desilting, and bori bandhans – to trap every drop of early or residual rainfall. Further, as part of the climate resilient agricultural practices, the Department is also implementing various Schemes viz. the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), Kisan Credit Card (KCC), Mission for Integrated Development of Horticulture (MIDH), National Food Security Mission (NFSM), Integrated Scheme on Oilseeds Mission, Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses and other existing programmes across the country. (b): Further, in respect of average time taken to settle insurance claims under Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), it is clarified that majority of the claims are settled within the stipulated timelines under the Operational Guidelines of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) i.e. within 21 days of the receipt of requisite yield data from the concerned State Government by the insurance companies. However, during the implementation of PMFBY, some claims remained pending, primarily on account of  Delay in providing State Government share of claims.  Incorrect/delayed submission of insurance proposals by banks and unverified bank account details of enrolled farmers.  Discrepancy in yield data & consequent disputes between State Government and insurance companies, etc. The pending claims on account of these issues are settled after their resolution as per provisions of the operational guidelines of the scheme.(c) & (d): As per the National Policy on Disaster Management (NPDM), the State Government is primarily responsible for providing necessary relief measures at the ground level in the wake of notified calamities. The State Governments undertake relief measures in the wake of natural calamities from funds available in the form of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) in accordance with the approved guidelines. Additional financial assistance, over and above SDRF, is considered from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), as per laid down procedure, in case of disaster of ‘severe nature’, which includes an assessment based on the visit of an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT). The financial assistance provided under SDRF and NDRF is by way of relief and not for compensation of losses suffered/ claimed. The details of fund allocation under SDRF State-wise during 2026-27 to 2030- 31 (under the XVIth Finance Commission) as provided by the Ministry of Home Affairs is given at Annexure.Annexure Annexure referred in reply to Part (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 3907 due for reply on 11.08.2026 State-wise Annual SDRF Allocation (In Rs. crore) State 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 2030-31 Total Andhra Pradesh 1,182 1,241 1,303 1,368 1,439 6,533 Arunachal 99 104 109 114 121 547 Pradesh Assam 843 885 929 975 1,028 4,660 Bihar 2,628 2,759 2,897 3,042 3,196 14,522 Chhattisgarh 479 503 528 554 582 2,646 Goa 22 23 24 25 25 119 Gujarat 1,633 1,715 1,801 I ,891 1,982 9,022 Haryana 564 592 622 653 686 3,117 Himachal 431 453 476 500 524 2,384 Pradesh Jharkhand 542 569 597 627 658 2,993 Karnataka 1,239 1,301 1,366 1,434 1,507 6,847 Kerala 374 393 413 434 450 2,064 Madhya 2,258 2,371 2,490 2,615 2,743 12,477 Pradesh Maharashtra 5,718 6,004 6,304 6,619 6,952 31,597 Manipur 42 44 46 48 50 230 Meghalaya 70 74 78 82 84 388 Mizoram 46 48 50 53 55 252 Nagaland 66 69 72 76 79 362 Odisha 1,718 1,804 1,894 1,989 2,088 9,493 Punjab 478 502 527 553 582 2,642 Rajasthan 1,778 1,867 1,960 2,058 2,162 9,825 Sikkim 73 77 81 85 88 404 Tamil Nadu 1,638 1,720 1,806 1,896 1,991 9,051 Telangana 536 563 591 621 648 2,959 Tripura 57 60 63 66 70 316 Uttar Pradesh 2,957 3,105 3,260 3,423 3,597 16,342 Uttarakhand 797 837 879 923 967 4,403 West Bengal 1,326 1,392 1,462 1,535 1,611 7,326 Total 29,594 31,075 32,628 34,259 35,965 1,63,521 Source: Ministry of Home Affairs *****