Ensure timely aid to farmers: Min to officials

Bhubaneswar: Cooperation Minister Pradeep Bal Samanta Thursday asked officials to instruct insurance companies to cooperate in providing timely compensation to insured farmers.

Presiding over a meeting to discuss the effectiveness of crop loan disbursement through cooperatives and the implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana here, Bal said the government is committed to the development of agriculture and farmers, and is prioritising transparency in the disbursement of agricultural loans. “Transparency will be given top priority in providing agricultural loans to farmers. Under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, registered farmers who suffer crop losses will receive timely compensation from insurance companies,” he said. Aali MLA Pratap Keshari Deb, Begunia MLA Pradip Kumar Sahu; Basudevpur MLA Ashok Kumar Das; Kamakhyanagar MLA Shatrughna Jena and Mahanga MLA Sarada Pradhan, who attended the meeting, presented their opinions during the meeting.

Cooperation Commissioner and Secretary Rajesh Prabhakar Patil delivered the inaugural address, while Siddharth Das, Registrar of Cooperative Societies, proposed the vote of thanks. NABARD CGM Sanjay Kumar Talukdar, AGCS Santosh Kumar Nayak, Chief Executive Officers of all Central Cooperative Banks, and senior officers of the Cooperation Department were among those present at the meeting.

News