Mumbai: Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday attacked the Eknath Shinde government and wondered if the crop insurance scheme was a “big scam” because firms had been paid several crore rupees as premium but farmers were not getting benefits.
Several parts of the state received unseasonal rains recently, leading to extensive damage to crops and distress to farmers.
Talking to reporters after meeting farmers in Hingoli district, Thackeray said the state government must waive farm loans the way he did when he was CM between 2019 and 2022.
“I wonder if the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana is a big scam,” Thackeray said.
He said after the state government announced crop insurance for farmers for just Re 1, while their premium would be paid by farmers, the number of farmers in the state insuring their crops rose from 90 lakh to 1.75 crore.
“The state government has paid farmers’ share of Rs 8,000 crore. In whose pocket did the money go through these insurance companies? This is taxpayers’ money,” he asked.
Insurance company offices are shut, they don’t answer phone calls, they don’t listen to the government or face farmers, he alleged.
Thackeray sought to know to what extent the claims of farmers had been cleared by insurance companies.
