How to Apply for Crop Insurance in West Bengal

West Bengal contributes mainly to the production of jute and paddy, followed by potatoes. Additionally, oilseeds and pulses are being grown more extensively in the state. Nevertheless, the state is very prone to natural disasters, such as floods, cyclones, hailstorms, etc., adversely affecting farmers and their crops. The crop insurance scheme was established to help such farmers during unforeseen perils and provide them with economic support.

There have always been issues with the timely settlement of insurance amounts, even though state farmers have participated in other central schemes like PMFBY, NAIS, and MNAIS. Therefore, the West Bengal government launched its state-sponsored crop insurance scheme, Bangla Shasya Bima Yojana, on 15th February 2019. As a result of this scheme, the concerned department will ensure that the settlement is made on time and will also strive to overcome the shortcomings of the previous scheme.

How to Apply for Crop Insurance in West Bengal

Bangla Shasya Bima Yojana

In collaboration with the Agriculture Insurance Company of India (AIC), the West Bengal government has announced a crop insurance scheme for the 2019 kharif season. Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Medinipur, Malda, Hooghly, Nadia, Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Birbhum, Purulia, Dakshin Dinajpur, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas are the 15 districts covered by the Bangla Shashya Bima (BSB) scheme.

Because the government would pay the full premium, the crop insurance scheme would be free of charge for farmers. Insurance will cover paddy, jute, and maize. Those who are taking out loans (granted or applied for) and those who are not taking out loans can take advantage of this insurance. Insurance will be paid at four stages: during planting, during cultivation, post-cutting, when crops are lying in the field, and during adverse weather conditions. The amount will be determined by the state government and calculated per hectare.

Features and Benefits of WB Shasya Bima Yojana

A Crop Insurance scheme will be offered to farmers under this scheme, especially for the Kharif crop.
Farmers are not required to pay any premium for benefits under WB Bangla Shasya Bima Yojana
The government of West Bengal will pay the premium amount.
The insurance amount will be calculated on a per-hectare basis for the farmers.
In the first phase, this scheme covers the following districts: Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Medinipur, Malda, Hooghly, Nadia, Murshidabad, Purulia, Dakshin Dinajpur, North 24 Parganas, and South 24 Parganas.
There are four stages in the insurance payment under this scheme: losses that occur during plantation or cultivation, post-cutting when crops are aline in the field, or due to adverse weather conditions.

Crops Covered Under Bangla Shasya Bima Scheme

Boro (Summer) Paddy	Mustard
Wheat	Til (Summer)
Rabi Maize	Groundnut (Summer)
Summer Maize	Potato
Gram	Sugarcane
Lentil (Masur)	Khesari
Moong (Summer)

Documents Required for Applying Bangla Shashya Bima (BSB)

Identity Proof: PAN, Aadhaar Card, Voter Identity Card, Driving License, etc.
Address Proof: PAN Card, Valid Passport, Utility bill
Bank account details.
Signature verification of applicants
Farmer ID Proof
Land Measurements Documents
Documents related to the extent of crop failure
Details of existing loans and repayment track records
One passport-size photo of the applicant
Any other document, if required

West Bengal Bangla Shasya Bima Eligibility Criteria

The applicant interested in applying should be a permanent resident of the state.
Listed Voter ID is Mandatory for BSB Scheme
Resident must be farming the listed crops as per government gadget.
Land lease certificate if a farmer is harvesting on leased land.
Valid identity card like Aadhar card/voter ID card/Ration card

In case you missed it: How to Apply for Crop Insurance in Telangana

How to Apply West Bengal Bangla Shasya Bima

Applying Procedure

All interested farmer applicants who want to apply under WB Bangla Shasya Bima Yojana have to follow the procedure below.

First, you should visit the Bangla Shasya Bima official website run by the Department of Agriculture of the West Bengal Government.
You will be taken to the home page. Select the Register option from the homepage.
You will now be able to fill out the registration form. Complete this form with all the details, such as – Stakeholder, Stakeholder Type, User Roles, Email, Password, Name, and Mobile Number.
After entering all the details, click on the Sign-Up button.
Through this, you can easily apply under WB Bangla Shasya Bima Yojana.

To View the Application Status

Visit the official Bangla Shasya Bima Website
Upon clicking the link, you’ll be taken to the home page
You can verify the status of your application on the homepage by clicking the Application Status option
You will be directed to a new web page
Please enter your Application ID here
Click on the Search option after entering the ID

To Download the Certificate Of Insurance

Check out the official website of the Bangla Shasya Bima Department of Agriculture in West Bengal

You will be taken to the homepage.
Click on the Download Certificate of Insurance option on the homepage
You will be directed to a new web page
This is where you must enter all the details, such as the voter card, the type of crop, and the year.
Click the Search button once you have entered the details
You will be able to see your insurance certificate
You can download it to your device by clicking the Download button

Coverage of Risks

Under the Bangla Shasya Bima Yojana, only the crops affected due to the following risks will be insured. Check the details of the insured risks below.

Prevented sowing	The sowing of the crop is restricted due to extreme climatic conditions.
Standing crop	This covers the crop loss from the time course between sowing and harvesting, such as drought, flood, natural fire, pest attack or diseases, cyclone, etc.
Post-harvest losses	Under this cover, the crops are insured within two weeks of the harvesting against the particular circumstances of cyclone, cyclonic rains, or unseasonal rainfall.
Localized calamities	Crop damage because of the occurrence by hailstorms, landslides, and inundation.

Premium Rates and Premium Subsidy

Check the premium rates and subsidy the farmer must pay as their share of the scheme under the crops grown and season. The rest of the share will be paid by the state government.

Season	Crops	Max. insurance charges payable by the farmer (% of sum insured)
Kharif	All food grain and oilseeds, and jute	Nil
Rabi	All food grain and oilseeds, and jute	Nil
Kharif and Rabi	Commercial crops: Potato and sugarcane	4.85% of SI or actuarial rate (whichever is less)

In case you missed it: How to Apply for Crop Insurance in Madhya Pradesh

Conclusion

West Bengal Bangla Shasya Bima Yojana was created to help farmers in the state. A major purpose of this scheme is to provide farmers with crop insurance coverage, especially for crops grown during the Kharif season. Under the supervision of the West Bengal Department of Agriculture, the initiative will be carried out. With the current economic situation in the country, this initiative will undoubtedly assist farmers in need. Farmers in economically disadvantaged areas will be eligible for the scheme.

How to Apply for Crop Insurance in West Bengal