The Gujarat unit of the Indian National Congress (INC) on Tuesday, 30 June demanded the immediate implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) in the state, alleging that the Bhupendra Patel-led government had ignored repeated requests from the Union government to adopt the central crop insurance scheme — leaving farmers unprotected against losses from natural calamities.

Letters from the Centre

Addressing a press conference in Ahmedabad, Congress national spokesperson and former Rajya Sabha MP Shaktisinh Gohil released copies of letters written by Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. According to Gohil, one such letter, dated 25 November 2025, stated that nearly all states in the country were implementing PMFBY and that the scheme had provided substantial assistance to farmers during unseasonal rainfall, excessive rainfall, and other natural disasters.

'The Union Agriculture Minister wrote to the Gujarat Chief Minister on November 25, 2025, stating that nearly all states in the country were implementing PMFBY and that the scheme had provided substantial assistance to farmers during unseasonal rainfall, excessive rainfall and other natural disasters,' Gohil claimed. He added that the letter explicitly urged the state government to introduce the scheme without delay — a request that, he alleged, went unheeded.

Rajya Sabha Exchange Adds Weight

Gohil also cited a written reply from the Centre following an issue he raised during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha on 5 December last year, concerning compensation for Gujarat farmers who suffered heavy losses due to unseasonal rainfall. He claimed the Centre's response acknowledged that while farmers across the country were receiving benefits under PMFBY, Gujarat had not adopted the scheme despite repeated requests — making it impossible for the Centre to extend compensation through the programme.

'The entire country is availing of crop insurance benefits, but the Gujarat Government has not accepted the scheme despite repeated requests,' Gohil quoted from the Centre's response, asserting that Gujarat remained the only state where PMFBY was not being implemented.

Impact on Farmers

Gohil claimed that farmers in Gujarat suffered losses worth crores of rupees during unseasonal heavy rainfall last year. He argued that full compensation would have been available had PMFBY been in place. 'They would have received full compensation had the state implemented PMFBY. Instead, farmers were given only limited compensation by the state government for restricted areas, which was insufficient even to meet the costs of seeds and cultivation,' he said.

Congress also flagged the possibility of fresh crop losses due to a delayed monsoon and the El Niño effect, urging the state government to implement the scheme without further delay. The party further questioned why Gujarat's farmers had remained outside PMFBY since 2019-20 while farmers in other states continued to receive its benefits.

Gujarat's Position: MMKSY as Alternative

Gujarat withdrew from PMFBY in 2020 and introduced the Mukhya Mantri Kisan Sahay Yojana (MMKSY) as a state-funded alternative. The state government had cited high premium rates quoted by insurance companies under PMFBY as the reason for the withdrawal. Unlike the central scheme, MMKSY provides financial assistance for crop losses caused by natural calamities without requiring farmers to pay an insurance premium. The state has also said disaster-related relief is channelled through the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

This comes amid broader political pressure on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-governed state ahead of the monsoon season, with the Congress seeking both an apology to farmers and full retrospective compensation for losses incurred last year. The Gujarat government had not issued a formal response to the Congress allegations at the time of reporting.