Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Friday questioned the categorisation of 90 lakh Maharashtra farmers as ineligible for the Prime Minister's Crop Insurance Scheme and impugned the parameters used to declare them so.
He also asked the government to ensure companies give insurance compensation to farmers from drought and flood-hit areas of the state or it should take back money paid as a premium to the private players and distribute it among the peasants.
Speaking to reporters here, Thackeray said under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), farmers pay 2 per cent of the premium amount, while 98 per cent is paid by the government.
He claimed that after the Shiv Sena raised concerns over improper disbursal of insurance compensation to farmers, companies disbursed Rs 960 crore to 10 lakh peasants.