Rural consumers always get the short end of the stick, be it the minimum support price for farmers or crop insurance. Once again, last week, the Comptroller and Auditor General pulled up the Centre, states and private insurance companies for their ineffective implementation of crop insurance schemes.

It noted that the government has given huge sums as subsidies from the public exchequer, but no provision had been made to monitor whether these funds were being utilised properly. It pointed out that currently there is no independent regulator for the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, which came into existence in January 2016 and has given private insurance firms a big role.

CAG auditors found that almost two-thirds of the nearly 6,000 farmers they contacted in different states were not aware of the crop insurance schemes. There was no redressal system and the delays in the release of state funds to farmers defeated the very purpose of the insurance scheme.

CAG suggested a public audit of the private insurance companies. With farmer distress visible across the nation, this is an urgent need, no doubt.

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