N'PADA FARMERS VICTIMISED FOR ‘BANK ERROR’

N'PADA FARMERS VICTIMISED FOR ‘BANK ERROR’

Wednesday, 03 July 2013 | AJIT PANDA | NUAPADA | in Bhubaneswar

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Government and Bank officials
in a meeting with people

A small mistake committed by the office of the Regional Manager, Utkal Gramya Bank (UGB), here has put hundreds of farmers, who had insured their paddy crop during 2011-12 Kharif season under the National Agriculture Insurance Programme (NAIP), in a dilemma. More than 400 farmers of Bargaon Panchayat of Khariar Block in Nuapada district had deposited their premium to insure their paddy crop under the NAIP in the Bargaon branch of the UGB. Although, the 86.49 per cent crop loss was insured, the National Agricultural Insurance Company of India (AICI) has released sum in respect of only 20.49 per cent of loss.

"This mistake will cost us more than Rs 16,000 per hectare," says Labaneswar Barik, a farmer of Chalanpada village, adding, "When the company is liable to pay Rs 22,000, it has now sanctioned less than Rs 6,000."

The RM office of Balangir has revealed that their office committed that mistake, which they considered a human error, while feeding data into the computer. Instead of putting the code of Bargaon village of Khariar block, the officials have entered the code of another village in the same name, which belongs to Sinapali block of the district.

Thus instead of 86.49 per cent of sum insured, the sum released by AICI was only about 20 per cent. The differential amount for all the farmers, who have deposited their premium in the UGB, is more than Rs 2 crore.

The farmers are demanding release of full amount and thus have not taken the released amount. All the concerned authorities including the District Collector, Lead Bank Manager of Nuapada district and MP Bhakta Charan Das have been appraised about the mistake.

On March 18 last, the farmers had locked the UGB branch of Bargaon village demanding early action for release of full amount. The lock was opened on March 29 last when a team consisting of the Lead Bank Manager, Nuapada; Manager, Finance of UGB RM office and representative of the District Collector, Nuapada came to the village and assured that the payment would be made within three months. The Manager-finance of RM office even had given an undertaking in this regard. However, there is no progress although more than three months have passed.

Meanwhile, the Department of Cooperation has confirmed that it has written to the Head Office of the National Agricultural Insurance Company, New Delhi for correction of document and release of the full amount.

"This is how our government runs. We are suffering for no fault of ours. We will give a 15-day ultimatum to the Government and if there is no progress, we will lock the bank again," warned Sanjay Tiwari of Krushak Sakti Sangathana of Nuapada.