Farmers Get Relief: Wild Animal Attacks and Paddy Inundation Covered Under ‘Localised Risk’ Insurance
Centre introduces new add-on cover to protect farmers from sudden crop losses, effective from Kharif 2026
New Delhi, Nov 19: In a major relief for farmers, the Centre has approved the inclusion of crop loss due to wild animal attacks and paddy inundation under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Officials from the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare said that wild animal attacks will now be recognised as the fifth add-on cover under the ‘Localised Risk’ category.
States will identify the list of wild animals responsible for crop damage and designate vulnerable districts or insurance units based on historical data. Farmers will be required to report losses within 72 hours through the Crop Insurance App, uploading geotagged photographs to ensure transparency and efficiency.
The move comes after repeated requests from states and aims to strengthen protection for farmers against sudden, severe, and localised crop damage. The revised framework follows PMFBY operational guidelines and will be rolled out from Kharif 2026.
Reintroduction of paddy inundation
Paddy inundation had been removed from the localised calamity category in 2018 due to concerns over assessment challenges and moral hazard. Its exclusion created a protection gap, particularly in flood-prone districts. With its reintroduction under PMFBY, farmers in coastal and flood-prone states such as Odisha, Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Maharashtra, and Uttarakhand will benefit significantly.
Targeted support for wildlife-affected areas
The new coverage also benefits farmers in states with high human–wildlife conflict, including Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttarakhand, as well as Himalayan and North-Eastern states such as Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Sikkim, and Himachal Pradesh, where wild animal depredation is frequent.
Officials said, “For years, farmers across India have suffered increasing crop losses due to attacks by elephants, wild boars, nilgai, deer, and monkeys, especially near forests, wildlife corridors, and hilly terrains. Simultaneously, paddy farmers in flood-prone and coastal states have been repeatedly affected by inundation from heavy rains and overflowing waterways. These losses often went uncompensated until now.”
