Registration for insurance claim for crop damage extended by 2 days: Odisha CM
Former Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik who reviewed the crop loss situation caused by unseasonal rain Ganjam district and demanded that the farmers should be compensated quickly
Former Odisha chief minister and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) chief Naveen Patnaik on Monday demanded that farmers whose crops have been damaged by unseasonal rains be compensated quickly even as chief minister Mohan Majhi announced that the registration process for insurance compensation claims by farmers has been extended for two more days.

Patnaik reviewed the crop loss situation caused by unseasonal rain at Seragada block, Hinjili block, Aska and Kabisuryanagar during his visit to Ganjam district and said the extent of crop damage seemed to be “very bad”.
“The farmers must be compensated very quickly as they were at the time of my government. All the damage that is done to the crop, they must be given compensation very very quickly,” said Patnaik, who went to Seragada block under his constituency Hinjili before visiting Aska, Kabisuryanagar and Khallikote. Patnaik met the farmers who incurred losses due to unseasonal rain and visited their croplands during his visit.
The former CM would visit Kendrapara and Jagatsinghpur on Tuesday to assess the damage.
Patnaik’s visit came amid chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi announcing that affected farmers can now report and claim compensation over crop loss till midnight of January 1. The initial deadline was December 29, which was later extended till December 30.
The CM and other ministers had visited different rain-affected districts on Sunday, following which the state government had requested the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Empowerment to extend time for the farmers to report crop loss.
“Keeping in view the interests of the farmers, the central government has extended the time... Farmers can now inform the insurance companies about the crop loss till January 1, 2025,” a statement issued by the chief minister’s office (CMO) said. The CM said the damage assessment report in the wake of the unseasonal rains between December 20 and December 28, will be released on Tuesday.
Across the state, farmers hoping for a better remuneration for the harvest due to the ₹800 input subsidy announced by the government are unable to come to terms with the waterlogged farmlands.
In Jagatsinghpur district, hundreds of acres of paddy fields lie submerged, with grains sprouting due to prolonged exposure to moisture. In Kalahandi district, paddy piled up in procurement centres turned soggy by incessant rains. Many farmers are staring at major losses as they fear that the rice millers would not accept the harvested paddy. “Even after covering it with tarpaulin, nothing could be saved. The has crushed us,” said a farmer in Kalahandi.
Farmers in many coastal and interior districts such as Angul, Balasore, Bhadrak, Boudh, Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Deogarh, Gajapati, Ganjam, Jagatsinghpur, Jajpur, Kandhamal, Kendrapada, Keonjhar, Khurda, Koraput, Mayurbhanj, Nawrangpur, Nayagarh, Puri and Raygada have sustained crop loss over the last week due to unseasonal rains between December 20 and 28. However, the maximum damage have been reported from Ganjam district.
“About 15 lakh farmers from these districts have been enrolled under the insurance scheme. The farmers who have insured their Kharif crops under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (Kharif - 2024) are required to report loss of their harvested crops for claiming insurance compensation. Farmers can upload the information on crop loss using the ‘Krishi Rakshak’ app within 72 hours of the crop loss or intimate through the helpline 14447,” said a government release.
