The Jammu and Kashmir government on Thursday informed the legislative assembly that the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was being implemented across all 20 districts of the union territory with over 12.89 lakh farmers covered and claims worth ₹ 221.71 crore registered so far.
‘One car to one officer’ policy under consideration: Transport minister Minister for transport Satish Sharma informed the House that a revised car policy is presently under consideration of the government, wherein it has been proposed to introduce the principle of ‘one vehicle-one officer’. The minister was replying to a question raised by MLA Ranbir Singh Pathania. Minister for health and medical education Sakina Itoo informed the House that the government is taking a series of measures to strengthen healthcare delivery, emergency response, trauma care and critical-care services in remote, hilly and difficult-to-access areas of Jammu Division, including the Padder-Nagseni assembly constituency.
“The proposed policy shall also provide for such specific exceptions as may be considered necessary by the government, keeping in view security requirements, field duties, additional assignments/charges, operational exigencies and the functional requirements of particular departments/organisations,” he said.
He informed the House that the scheme is demand-driven and there is no cap on the number of farmers who can avail its benefits, subject to prescribed guidelines and eligibility criteria. Javid Dar said that approximately 35 lakh people, comprising nearly 7.5 lakh families, are directly or indirectly associated with the horticulture sector. The sector contributes approximately 10% to the gross domestic product (GDP) of the UT and generates an estimated annual income of around ₹ 12,000 crore. On crop insurance, he said that the PMFBY is presently being implemented across all 20 districts of J&K.
Minister for agriculture production, rural development and panchayati raj, Javid Ahmad Dar, while responding to questions by four MLAs, said that the horticulture sector remains one of the key pillars of J&K’s economy, supporting the livelihoods and employment of a large section of the population.
