Advocate Rapolu Bhaskar has called out the state for its failure to implement a comprehensive crop insurance scheme, leaving Telangana’s farmers vulnerable to natural calamities. He urged the adoption of the central Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana to protect farmers’ livelihoods, highlighting the dire situation faced by 55 lakh farmers cultivating 2.20 crore acres.
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Advocate Rapolu Bhaskar has raised serious concerns about the lack of a robust crop insurance scheme for farmers in Telangana, writing to the Chief Justice to highlight the issue. In his letter, Bhaskar accused the state of neglecting its responsibility to safeguard the agricultural community against natural calamities. Despite the central government offering the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), which provides comprehensive risk coverage, Telangana has failed to adopt the scheme or implement a state-specific alternative.
The impact of this negligence is staggering. Bhaskar emphasized that 55 lakh farmers, cultivating a total of 2.20 crore acres of land, have faced repeated losses due to unpredictable weather events such as unseasonal rains, hailstorms, and droughts. These calamities have devastated crops, plunging many farmers into financial distress and leaving them vulnerable to debt cycles. While the state government has made verbal promises to compensate farmers for damaged crops, Bhaskar noted that these assurances have not translated into actual financial support, further aggravating the plight of the agricultural community.
The Chief Justice acknowledged the gravity of Bhaskar’s concerns and converted the issue into a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), ensuring that the matter receives judicial attention. A hearing has been scheduled for Tuesday, marking a critical step toward addressing this long-standing problem. Bhaskar hopes that judicial intervention will compel the state to either implement the PMFBY or create a robust, locally tailored crop insurance scheme to protect the livelihoods of Telangana’s farmers.
This issue underscores the urgent need for institutional reforms to ensure that farmers, who form the backbone of the economy, are not left at the mercy of nature. Bhaskar’s advocacy serves as a call to action for the state to prioritize its agricultural sector and honor its commitments to the farmers who sustain it.