Pilot Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS)

1. The efforts have been made to bring more farmers under the fold of Crop
Insurance by introducing a Pilot Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme
(WBCIS) as announced in the Union Budget 2007 in selected areas on pilot
basis. WBCIS is intended to provide insurance protection to the farmers against
adverse weather incidence, such as deficit and excess rainfall, high or low
temperature, humidity etc. which are deemed to impact adversely the crop
production. It has the advantage to settle the claims within shortest possible
time. The WBCIS is based on actuarial rates of premium but to make the
scheme attractive, premium actually charged from farmers have been restricted
to at par with NAIS. The difference between actuarial rates and premium actually
paid by farmers are borne by the Government (both Centre and State concerned
on 50:50 basis). Besides this a cap on premium payable by farmers for annual
commercial/horticultural crops has been provided. Further, to provide
competitive service to the farmers, private insurance companies i.e. ICICI-
Lombard, IFFCO-TOKIO, M.S Cholamandalam and HDFC-ERGO General
Insurance Companies have also been involved for implementation besides
Agriculture Insurance Company of India (AIC). Five more Private General
Insurance Company namely, Tata AIG, Royal Sundaram Alliance, Future
Generali India, L & T and Reliance General Insurance Company Ltd. has also
been permitted for undertaking crop insurance business from Kharif 2013
season.

2. Crops covered and Progress of the scheme is at Annexure-IV and

Annexure-V respectively.

3. Financial progress of the scheme is given as under:-

(Rs, in crore)
Year B.E. R.E. Actual Expenditure
2007-08 Nil 69.19 69.19
2008-09 50.00 100.00 100.00
2009-10 50.00 120.00 120.00
2010-11 100.00 450.00 450.00
2011-12 450.00 631.18 631.18
TOTAL XI Plan 650.00 1300.37 1370.37
2012-13 655.00 655.00 655.00
2013-14 700.00