Question

The issue of the introduction of crop insurance in India was taken up by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture in the Central Legislature in _____.
1. 1936
2. 1947
3. 1951
4. 1956

Answer 1

Correct Answer - Option 2 : 1947

The correct answer is 1947.

• The Central Legislature of India discussed the subject of crop insurance in 1947.
  • The then Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Rajendra Prasad gave an assurance that the government would examine the possibility of crop and cattle insurance.
  • He commissioned a special study for this purpose in 1947-48.

 

• In October 1965 the Government of India decided to introduce a Crop Insurance Bill and a Model Scheme of Crop Insurance to enable the States to introduce crop insurance if they so desired.
  • In 1970, the draft Bill and the Model Scheme were referred to an Expert Committee headed by Dr. Dharm Narain.
  • The first crop insurance program was introduced in 1972-73 by the General Insurance Department of Life Insurance Corporation of India on H-4 cotton in Gujarat.
  • General Insurance Corporation of India took over the experimental scheme and subsequently included Groundnut, Wheat, and Potato and implemented it in the states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and West Bengal.
  • It continued up to 1978-79 and covered only 3110 farmers for a premium of   4.54 lakhs against claims of  37.88 lakh.
  • Professor V. M. Dandekar is often referred to as the “Father of Crop Insurance in India.”

Source:- https://www.aicofindia.com/AICEng/Pages/Global%20Navigation/Evolution.aspx#:~:text=The%20Central%20Legislature%20discussed%20the,this%20purpose%20in%201947%2D48.

• Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (As of May 20, 2021)
  • Union Minister- Shri Narendra Singh Tomar
  • Minister of State- Shri Parshottambhai Rupala
  • Minister of State- Shri Kailash Choudhary
  • Secretary- Sanjay Agarwal 

• When India got independence on August 15, 1947, the country also got a team of cabinet ministers.​
• There were fourteen ministers in the cabinet viz.

Cabinet as of August 15, 1947

Minister	Portfolio(s)
Jawaharlal Nehru	Prime Minister; External Affairs and Commonwealth Relations; Scientific Research.
Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel	Home; Information and Broadcasting; States.
Dr. Rajendra Prasad	Food and agriculture
Maulana Abul Kalam Azad	Education
Dr. John Matthai	Railways and Transport
Sardar Baldev Singh	Defense
Shri Jagjivan Ram	Labour
C.H. Bhabha	Commerce
Rafi Ahmad Kidwai	Communications
Rajkumari Amrit Kaur	Health
Dr. B.R Ambedkar	Law
R.K. Shanmukham Chetty	Finance
Syama Prasad Mookerji	Industries and Supplies
N. V. Gadgil	Works, Mines, and Power