Jaipur, Nov. 3 -- Nearly 76% of farmers surveyed in Rajasthan said the compensation they received under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) was inadequate compared to their crop losses, with an evaluation by the state government flagging delays in claim settlements, under-assessment of damage and lack of transparency by insurance companies. The report, prepared by the state's Evaluation Department, found that 227 of the 300 beneficiary farmers surveyed across 10 districts (75.67%) were dissatisfied with the claim amounts paid by insurance companies. Only 73 farmers (24.33%) considered the compensation adequate. The primary reasons cited were under-assessment of crop damage, leading to lower compensation, and delays in claim payments. The evaluation covered the implementation of the scheme during 2022-24. The department selected five districts with the highest number of beneficiaries - Churu, Barmer, Hanumangarh, Jodhpur and Sikar - and five with the lowest numbers - Dausa, Sirohi, Rajsamand, Karauli and Dholpur. It also surveyed 100 government and non-government respondents. The report found that 16.06 million farmers were insured under the scheme in Rajasthan during the period, but only 4.79 million received crop insurance claims, accounting for 29.86% of the insured farmers. The total claims disbursed amounted to approximately Rs.10,771.97 crore. The assessment also flagged delays in crop-loss surveys. Of the 198 beneficiary farmers who reported filing complaints over crop damage, 114 said the survey was conducted 8-15 days after their complaints, while six reported a delay of 16-23 days. Further, 235 of the 300 farmers surveyed (78.33%) said they were not included in committees constituted to assess crop losses caused by adverse weather conditions, hailstorms, cyclonic rainfall and unseasonal rain. The report raised concerns over insurance companies' functioning, including alleged under-assessment of crop damage, lack of transparency, delayed settlements and inadequate explanations for rejected claims. It also cited instances in which farmers were not given copies of crop-loss assessment reports, making it difficult for them to verify how their compensation was calculated. The evaluation noted complaints that insurance company representatives allegedly used photographs of healthy crops to dispute damage claims. Among the 100 government and non-government respondents, 21 expressed dissatisfaction with the claim settlement process, while 28 said the compensation paid was inadequate. The Evaluation Department has recommended stricter monitoring of insurance companies, penalties for delays in claim settlements and action, including blacklisting, against companies that violate scheme guidelines. It has also suggested providing farmers with copies of crop-loss assessment reports and communicating reasons for rejected claims through their registered mobile numbers. Another key recommendation is to extend individual assessment-based compensation to standing crops damaged by excessive rainfall, storms and waterlogging, as existing provisions do not adequately cover such losses. The report has also called for separate guaranteed yield benchmarks for irrigated and unirrigated areas, timely crop-loss surveys, greater transparency in crop-cutting experiments and improvements to the National Crop Insurance Portal and mobile application. It further recommended strengthening district- and block-level monitoring committees and giving agriculture department officials greater powers to act on complaints against insurance companies. While acknowledging that the scheme has provided financial protection against natural calamities and helped reduce farmers' fear of economic losses, the report said shortcomings in awareness, application procedures, claim assessment, payments and monitoring were preventing it from fully achieving its objectives....