In a major relief for millions of farmers, the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare has approved new modalities to include wild animal attacks and paddy inundation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) — addressing long-pending demands from states and closing critical protection gaps in India’s crop insurance system.
Under the revised framework, crop loss due to wild animal attacks will now be recognised as the fifth add-on cover under the Localised Risk category. States will identify the wild species responsible for crop depredation and designate vulnerable districts based on historical data. Farmers must report losses within 72 hours on the Crop Insurance App with geotagged photos to ensure swift processing.
The government has also reintroduced paddy inundation as a localised calamity cover, a category removed in 2018 due to assessment challenges and risk of misuse. The reinstatement follows expert committee recommendations and aims to support farmers in districts that face recurrent flooding and waterlogging.
Both new safeguards will come into effect from Kharif 2026.
The Agriculture Ministry said these decisions respond to emerging risks faced by farmers, particularly those living near forests, wildlife corridors and flood-prone regions. States such as Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, and several Himalayan and North-Eastern states are expected to benefit significantly from wild animal attack coverage.
Similarly, paddy farmers in coastal and riverine states — including Odisha, Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Uttarakhand — will gain essential protection against seasonal submergence.
Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has approved the committee’s recommendations, calling the move a major step toward making PMFBY more inclusive, responsive and farmer-centric. The ministry said the updated framework will enable technology-based, transparent and timely claim settlements, helping strengthen the resilience of India’s farming communities.
