LEH, JUNE 16: Chief Secretary of the Union Territory of Ladakh, Ashish Kundra, on Tuesday chaired a meeting of the State Level Coordination Committee on Crop Insurance (SLCCCI) to review the implementation strategy of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) and the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) for the financial year 2026-27.
During the meeting, Secretary Agriculture and Horticulture, Bhupesh Chaudhary, presented a detailed roadmap for the implementation of RWBCIS in Ladakh. The scheme aims to provide financial protection to farmers against adverse weather conditions through weather-index-based insurance coverage, offering compensation linked to weather parameters rather than traditional crop yield assessments.
The presentation outlined the proposed notified areas, implementation framework and insurance coverage plans for major horticultural crops, including apricot and apple. Coverage has been proposed against risks such as extreme temperature fluctuations, unseasonal rainfall and snowfall that often affect orchard productivity in Ladakh.
The meeting also reviewed the salient features of PMFBY, including subsidy structures, technological interventions, crop coverage and insurance provisions for annual commercial crops such as peas and potatoes. Officials also discussed premium rates, expected insurance coverage area and budgetary requirements for the upcoming financial year.
While reviewing the proposals, Chief Secretary Ashish Kundra emphasised that farmer welfare must remain at the core of all crop insurance initiatives. He directed the concerned departments to strengthen farmer outreach programmes, ensure proper onboarding of eligible beneficiaries on the insurance portal and create a reliable database to facilitate seamless implementation.
Kundra also examined various subsidy-sharing models involving farmers, the UT Administration and the Government of India. He suggested exploring the possibility of the UT Administration bearing the premium burden for small orchard owners having up to 20 fruit-bearing trees to encourage greater participation and reduce financial stress on farmers.
The Chief Secretary further reviewed premium rates, payout mechanisms, weather thresholds and risk parameters proposed under the insurance framework. Referring to crop losses caused by extreme weather events in previous years, he called for a thorough assessment of historical weather and crop damage data to ensure that insurance products remain practical, farmer-friendly and capable of providing meaningful compensation during adverse conditions.
The meeting also deliberated on farmer contributions, subsidy mechanisms, crop-cutting experiments, yield estimation methodologies and awareness campaigns. Stressing the importance of community participation, Kundra underscored the need for effective dissemination of information and demand-driven implementation of crop insurance programmes across Ladakh.
The meeting was attended by Commissioner/Secretary Shurbir Singh, Secretary School Education Bhanu Prabha, Secretary Agriculture and Horticulture Bhupesh Chaudhary, representatives from the Finance Department, Directors of Agriculture and Horticulture, Chief Planning Officer Leh and other senior officials.
