The Hindu Business Line : Govt plans steering panel to develop rural insurance

TO develop rural insurance, the Government has proposed the creation of a national-level steering committee with representatives of the Insurance Regulatory Development Authority, the National Commission for Women, banks, public and private insurance companies.

The establishment of the steering committee, which is part of a multi-pronged agenda to address the distress faced by farmers, particularly in rainfed areas, was announced by the Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office, Mr Prithviraj Chavan, while inaugurating the international conference on Public-Private Partnership for Harnessing the Potential of Rainfed Agriculture.

Mr Chavan said the Government would facilitate Nabard and other banks to broaden and deepen their linkages with self-help Groups, especially in the 150 identified districts and link them with the private sector and other institutions.

He said the Government proposed to establish a national network of advanced soil testing laboratories capable of testing large volumes of soil samples for 16 macro and micro-nutrients, with 500 of them located in dryland farming areas.

Top priority would be given to improving water availability by promoting rainwater harvesting, restoring water bodies and introducing a Million Wells Recharge Programme through soft loans, the Minister said.

He said a revolution would be ushered in rain-fed areas for achieving a substantial enhancement in the productivity of millets, pulses, oilseeds and livestock through large-scale adoption of highly successful new technology packages such as hybrid pigeon pea.

The other initiatives unveiled by Mr Chavan include setting up of pulses and oilseeds villages (arhar and sesamum villages) for specialised production, efficient processing and remunerative producer-oriented marketing of select crops, harnessing of wastelands and bringing them under the cultivation of bio-fuels.

In his theme presentation, Dr. Joachim von Braun, Director-General, IFPRI, said pro-poor public-private partnerships could improve access to new technologies and tools, new research expertise and infrastructure, private equity markets and donor funding among others.

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