Nagpur: In what could be the state agriculture department’s first FIR under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), a private insurance company was booked for inadequate crop loss compensation. This followed a complaint by Akola farmers on pittance as compensation after last year’s crop loss survey with some getting as little as 70, 200, or 500.
Shankar Kirwe, Akola district superintendent (agriculture department), filed the complaint just before midnight on Thursday at Balapur police station.When contacted, Kirwe declined a statement to TOI and repeatedly said: “call me tomorrow”.
The FIR, a copy of which is with TOI, makes it clear the case was registered under BNS Section 318 (cheating) based on Kirwe’s complaint.
On Thursday afternoon, Balapur MLA Nitin Deshmukh led a group of farmers to Kirwe’s office. Deshmukh told Kirwe that farmers have got an average 500 as compensation and demanded that officials of insurance firm be called to the agriculture office.
Deshmukh shared the day’s events with the media after the FIR was lodged. “Despite attempts to contact the insurance company officials, their phones were switched off,” he said.
As the issue dragged on past office timings, Deshmukh sought resolution on the same day, which triggered chaos. Cops arrived at the agriculture office after being tipped off about the commotion.
Finally, the agriculture department officials along with Deshmukh went to Balapur police station, where the FIR was registered.
TOI’s calls to state agriculture minister Dhananjay Munde kept getting forwarded to another number which remained unanswered. Deshmukh said the insurance company failed to submit crucial documents to the agriculture department for PM’s Crop Insurance Scheme for the 2023-24 kharif and rabi seasons. “The missing documents include list of claims, survey lists, eligible and ineligible claims with reasons, and copies of crop panchanamas. This resulted in 7,556 farmers in the taluka not receiving proper compensation,” he said.
He blamed Akola’s guardian minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil for being apathetic to farmers’ problems. TOI tried to reach out to Vikhe-Patil but he did not answer calls or respond to SMS.
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