Horticulture Minister Narinder Bragta disclosed that the State Government is providing Rs. 24.47 crore under ‘Climate Based Crop Insurance Scheme’ for the year 2011-12 to compensate the apple orchardists for the losses due to natural calamities to their crops.

Bragta said that the scheme was being implemented from the year 2009 for apple and mango crops. He said that Rs. 3.83 crore had been released to horticulturists in the year 2009-10 and claims worth Rs. 8.07 crore had been cleared in the year 2010-11. He said that 2,227 orchardists were benefited under this scheme under which 2,67,728 apple and 16,648 mango plants were insured in the year 2009-10. Similarly, 12,335 horticulturists were benefited with insurance cover for 13, 86,503 apple and 20379 mango plants in the year 2010-11. He said that 21,365 horticulturists of 27 blocks had been benefited from this scheme.