Bogus claims amounting to Rs 10 crore detected in banana crop insurance; 10,619 false applications fined

Bogus claims under the fruit crop insurance scheme for banana cultivation, a part of the weather-based crop insurance program, have been identified, with 10,619 out of 77,832 applicants found to have submitted false claims. This revelation comes from the recent reports provided by the crop insurance company, just two days ago. Numerous farmers from the talukas of Raver, Chopda, and Yawal are among those with questionable applications.

The increase in the number of claims for the banana crop insurance in 2022 prompted a direct investigation by the insurance company, revealing that 10,619 farmers had filed bogus claims without actual banana cultivation. Consequently, the insurance company has decided to reject all these fraudulent claims. This discrepancy was noticed after the company had paid a direct visit to the fields for verification.

Due to the rise in the number of claimants in 2022 for banana cultivation, there has been a direct impact on the crop insurance company, which will now conduct a comprehensive investigation into the fields of the remaining claimants.

Out of 11,360 claims filed for land larger than the area cultivated for banana, only 1,902 claims have proper survey numbers matching the records. This indicates that these 1,902 farmers are genuine claimants, while the rest may face difficulties in obtaining insurance payouts. The insurance company is now set to conduct a detailed survey of the cultivated areas of these remaining claimants to determine the accuracy of their claims.”