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Indian Express
3 days ago
- Indian Express
Crop insurance scam: FIR filed against 40 service centre operators for filing 4,453 bogus claims
INITIATING ACTION in one of the biggest crop insurance frauds in Maharashtra under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), the agriculture department has filed an FIR against 40 Common Service Centre (CSC) operators in Nanded district for allegedly filing 4,453 bogus crop insurance applications during the kharif 2024 season. The CSC operators are digital access points that help farmers submit government-related applications including the crop insurance. According to the FIR registered in Nanded Rural police station, accessed by The Indian Express, the CSC operators submitted applications in the names of farmers, without their knowledge, using fake or manipulated land ownership documents, self-declarations, and bank details. In certain cases, the insurance was also claimed on government-owned land, non-agricultural land (NA), and plots without valid lease agreements or consent from the actual landholders. The complaint was filed by Madhav Gopal Channe, Agricultural Officer, Nanded, who alleged that several applications were uploaded through the PMFBY portal by CSCs using forged 7/12 extracts and other falsified documents. 'The fraudulent entries were detected during document verification conducted by United India Insurance Company, which flagged the anomalies in February 2025,' the FIR stated. The FIR further names farmers from districts such as Beed, Parbhani, Pune, Latur, Jalna, and even Uttar Pradesh whose names and details were misused without authorisation. The CSC operators allegedly exploited software loopholes and bypassed verification norms in an attempt to siphon off government insurance payouts. Following the initial red flags raised by the insurer, the agriculture department formed a district-level inquiry committee on March 4, 2025, under the chairmanship of the Nanded District Collector. The investigation confirmed that over 10 CSCs had filed more than 100 bogus applications each. The police complaint, officially registered at the Nanded Rural police station on May 29, 2025, states: 'With intent to fraudulently claim crop insurance benefits, 4,453 fake applications were filed using land not legally owned, leased, or consented for use. These included names of out-of-state farmers. Legal action should be initiated against the 40 CSC operators involved.' The scam is the latest in a series of irregularities that emerged after the state government's now-scrapped ₹1 crop insurance scheme. Introduced in 2023 by the Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government, the scheme brought the farmer contribution for crop insurance down to ₹1, resulting in applications jumping from 1.04 crore (2022) to 2.42 crore in 2023. However, the scheme quickly came under scrutiny after widespread misuse. By early 2024, over five lakh applications were identified as bogus across the state, with claims filed for barren land, religious institutions, petrol pumps, and industrial estates. Most of these bogus claims were made through the CSC operators. The government has also blocked IDs of 140 CSC operators who were allegedly involved in the bogus applications. In April 2025, the government scrapped the ₹1 scheme, reverting to the original PMFBY structure, which mandates a 2% premium for kharif crops, 1.5% for rabi crops, and 5% for commercial and horticultural crops. A new Government Resolution issued last month has introduced strict penalties, including criminal prosecution and a five-year ban on accessing any government subsidies or welfare schemes for those found guilty of fraudulent claims—farmers and CSC operators alike. As part of broader reforms, the government has made farmer ID and e-Peek Pahani (digital crop inspection) mandatory for all future insurance claims. An agriculture department official said, 'This wasn't random misuse—it was systemic fraud using software access, document manipulation, and mass-uploading of applications. The action in Nanded is just the beginning. More such clusters are under investigation.'
Mint
4 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Shiv Sena symbol row: Supreme Court to hear Uddhav Thackeray faction's plea on July 14
The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing on its plea over the contentious Shiv Sena symbol in wake of the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra. The matter was mentioned before a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and K Vinod Chandran which agreed to list it on July 14. The counsel for the Shiv Sena (UBT) informed the bench that local body polls were likely to be notified soon in the state. The counsel appearing for the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction said a similar request was made on May 7 before a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, also hearing the symbol row matter, and it was rejected. The Shiv Sena (UBT) counsel argued that Justice Kant-led bench had said the matter could be mentioned during the top court's partial court working days. He argued the matter raised the "question of peoples' choice". He said the plea seeks an interim arrangement similar to the one directed by the apex court in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) symbol row case. In November last year, the top court directed the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction to publish a disclaimer in newspapers, including Marathi ones, that the issue of allocation of "clock" symbol was pending in court. The order was passed when the top court was hearing the pleas of Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions over the purported use and misuse of "clock" symbol. The top court on May 6 paved the way for the state's local body polls which were stalled for over five years due to a reservation issue and ordered the Maharashtra election panel to notify it in four weeks. On May 7, the apex court asked the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction to concentrate on local body polls after the party sought an urgent hearing on its plea against the Maharashtra assembly speaker's decision to give the 'bow and arrow' symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led faction. The counsel appearing for Shiv Sena (UBT) had then said the assembly speaker gave the 'bow and arrow' symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction in 2023 based on the legislative majority, which was contrary to the Constitution bench verdict of the top court. Disclaimer: This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Symbol row: Supreme Court to hear Shiv Sena (UBT) plea on July 14
The Uddhav Thackeray-led faction on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court for an urgent hearing on its plea over the contentious Shiv Sena symbol in wake of the upcoming local body elections in Maharashtra. The matter was mentioned before a bench of Justices M M Sundresh and K Vinod Chandran which agreed to list it on July 14. The counsel for the Shiv Sena (UBT) informed the bench that local body polls were likely to be notified soon in the state. The counsel appearing for the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction said a similar request was made on May 7 before a bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, also hearing the symbol row matter, and it was rejected. The Shiv Sena (UBT) counsel argued that Justice Kant-led bench had said the matter could be mentioned during the top court's partial court working days. Live Events He argued the matter raised the "question of peoples' choice". He said the plea seeks an interim arrangement similar to the one directed by the apex court in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) symbol row case. In November last year, the top court directed the Ajit Pawar-led NCP faction to publish a disclaimer in newspapers, including Marathi ones, that the issue of allocation of "clock" symbol was pending in court. The order was passed when the top court was hearing the pleas of Sharad Pawar and Ajit Pawar factions over the purported use and misuse of "clock" symbol. The top court on May 6 paved the way for the state's local body polls which were stalled for over five years due to a reservation issue and ordered the Maharashtra election panel to notify it in four weeks. On May 7, the apex court asked the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction to concentrate on local body polls after the party sought an urgent hearing on its plea against the Maharashtra assembly speaker's decision to give the 'bow and arrow' symbol to the Eknath Shinde-led faction. The counsel appearing for Shiv Sena (UBT) had then said the assembly speaker gave the 'bow and arrow' symbol to the Eknath Shinde faction in 2023 based on the legislative majority, which was contrary to the Constitution bench verdict of the top court.
Indian Express
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
Govt: Criminal action, blacklisting against those who file fake crop insurance claim
The state government announced that it will initiate criminal action and impose a five-year blacklisting against those found guilty of filing fake crop insurance claims. In April this year, Maharashtra had scrapped the Re 1 crop insurance scheme after allegations of irregularities and bogus claims. The government then replaced it with the old scheme — Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY). Under the PMFBY, farmers will have to pay a premium of 2 per cent of the sum assured for Kharif crops, 1.5 per cent for Rabi crops, and 5 per cent for commercial or horticultural crops. The fresh Government Resolution (GR), issued Tuesday, brings sharp penalties against those who tries to misuse the scheme. The action includes criminal action against those who file bogus claims —including farmers, Common Service Centre (CSC) operators, and others—alongside a sweeping ban on access to all government subsidies and welfare and other schemes for five years. The Re 1 crop insurance scheme was a revised version of the PMFBY, introduced in 2023 by the then Chief Minister Eknath Shinde-led Mahayuti government to make crop insurance virtually free. It triggered a massive surge in applications, rising from 1.04 crore in 2022 to 2.42 crore in 2023. By early 2024, over four lakh applications were identified as bogus. Claims were filed for land where no crops were sown, or for plots belonging to temples, mosques, petrol pumps, and even industrial estates under MIDC. In response, the government blocked 140 CSC IDs which were found linked to such fraud. It also formed a 25-member expert panel led by Agriculture Commissioner Raosaheb Bhagade to study the abuse and recommend a policy overhaul. The committee proposed scrapping the Rs 1 model and reverting to the original PMFBY structure. 'For any crop insurance claim where the farmer's name does not appear on the 7/12 extract—or where bogus land records or crop data are used—the claim will be treated as fraudulent,' the GR said. 'If insurance is taken on another person's land without being a sharecropper or without mutual agreement, legal action will follow.' The GR also directs the Revenue Department to separately flag such cases in official records. 'Strict action will be taken through the tehsildar. If found guilty, the person will be blacklisted and barred from any government scheme for five years,' it stated.
Time of India
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
How a new law in Maharashtra could criminalise dissent
How a new law in Maharashtra could criminalise dissent Framed as a tool to fight 'urban Naxalism', Maharashtra's Special Public Security Bill has sparked outrage for its sweeping powers. Critics say it criminalises dissent, bypasses due process, and could turn peaceful protest into a punishable offence In December 2024, just a day before the winter session of the Maharashtra Assembly ended, the Eknath Shinde-led government tabled the Maharashtra Special Public Security (MSPS) Bill — a controversial law ostensibly crafted to target 'urban Naxals' and their support networks. But what the government describes as a necessary security measure, civil society groups have called 'draconian', 'unconstitutional', and 'a danger to India's democratic fabric'. As many as 12,000 objections and suggestions were submitted by April 1 in response to the Bill. Now, a broad coalition of political parties and grassroots organisations is preparing to march in protest at Mumbai's Azad Maidan on June 30.
