Ahmedabad, July 1: The Gujarat Congress has raised concerns regarding the state government’s failure to implement the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, despite repeated requests from the central government. The party is urging immediate action to protect farmers from crop losses due to natural disasters.
During a press conference in Ahmedabad, Congress spokesperson and former Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil shared copies of letters from Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan addressed to Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. Gohil asserted that these letters clearly indicate that the central government has urged the state to adopt the crop insurance scheme, yet Gujarat remains outside its purview.
He stated, “The Union Agriculture Minister wrote to the Chief Minister on November 25, 2025, highlighting that almost all states in the country are implementing the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme, which has provided significant support to farmers during unseasonal rains, excessive rainfall, and other natural calamities.”
Gohil emphasized that the letter requested the state government to implement the scheme immediately, but this has not occurred. He also mentioned that he raised the issue of compensation for farmers affected by unseasonal rains during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha on December 5 of the previous year. Following this, the central government provided a written response.
According to Gohil, the central government stated in its reply that farmers across the country are benefiting from the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme. However, the Gujarat government has not implemented it despite repeated requests, which means the central government cannot provide compensation to farmers in Gujarat through this scheme.
He remarked, “Farmers across the nation are benefiting from the crop insurance scheme, but the Gujarat government has repeatedly refused to accept it.” Gohil claimed that Gujarat is the only state in the country where this scheme is not in effect.
He noted that the Union Agriculture Minister described the PMFBY as a beneficial scheme for farmers, offering compensation for losses incurred from sowing to harvesting. Gohil added that the minister also mentioned that the scheme covers all crops and provides assistance for damages to vegetables and trees.
Gohil pointed out that last year, unseasonal heavy rains caused farmers to suffer losses amounting to crores of rupees. He stated, “If the state government had implemented PMFBY, farmers could have received full compensation. Instead, the state government provided limited compensation to only a few farmers in specific areas, which was insufficient to cover even the costs of seeds and farming.”
The Congress party is demanding that the state government clarify why it has excluded farmers from this central crop insurance scheme despite requests from the central government, and they are calling for an apology to the farmers. The party also insists that full compensation be provided for the losses incurred by farmers last year, rather than just limited assistance.
Citing delays in the monsoon and the threat of El Niño leading to potential crop damage, Congress has urged the Gujarat government to implement the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme without delay. The party has also questioned why farmers in Gujarat have been excluded from this scheme since 2019-20 while farmers in other states continue to benefit.
It is noteworthy that the Gujarat government opted out of the Prime Minister Crop Insurance Scheme in 2020, introducing the Chief Minister Kisan Sahay Scheme as an alternative. The state government claimed this decision was made due to higher premium rates demanded by insurance companies under PMFBY.
In contrast to the central scheme, the Chief Minister Kisan Sahay Scheme provides financial assistance to farmers affected by natural disasters without requiring any insurance premium. The state government has also maintained that disaster-related relief efforts are conducted through the State Disaster Response Fund.
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