It has been agreed to assess Tatopani, Kanakasundari and Patarasi rural municipalities as moderate drought areas, correcting the errors made at weather measurement centers while claiming apple insurance.
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A six-point agreement has been reached between Shikhar Insurance Company, which has been reluctant to pay the apple insurance amount claimed by the farmers for a long time, and the protesting apple insurance victims.
A team of people's representatives from Tatopani Rural Municipality, who reached Kathmandu with apple insurance-affected farmers, held talks with representatives of the Insurance Development Board, the CEO of Shikhar Insurance Company and apple insurance-affected farmers in the presence of Rajendra Mishra, Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock, and reached a six-point agreement.
It has been agreed to revise the errors made in the weather measurement centers while claiming apple insurance and evaluate Tatopani, Kanakasundari and Patarasi rural municipalities as moderate drought zones.
The subsidy will be fixed at Rs 400 per plant in Tatopani Rural Municipality and Rs 350 per plant in Kanakasundari and Patarasi rural municipalities, Shikhar Insurance Company will provide a lump sum of the subsidy to all farmers, with the subsidy amount received from the government to be reimbursed later, and the lock on the office of Shikhar Insurance Company by the farmers will be opened from Sunday, informed Ward Chairman of Tatopani Rural Municipality-4, Amar Bahadur Rokaya. .
Ward Chairman Rokaya informed that it was agreed that the claim amount will be paid to the farmers immediately through checks within a maximum of 15 days from the date of re-evaluation and signing of the agreement, after collecting the insufficient documents of the claim, and the premium amount paid for insuring the plants across the district that were found to not meet the standards during the on-site inspection will be returned to the farmers.
On November 21, the farmers submitted a memorandum to Shikhar Insurance Company through the District Administration Office. Despite repeated talks and discussions between the apple farmers and the representatives of the insurance company in the district administration, no agreement could be reached. The farmers had gone on strike after the company set the apple insurance loss assessment at Rs 24 per plant. They had paid the insurance premium of Rs 38 per plant.
After the problem could not be resolved in the district, a team led by Tatopani Rural Municipality Chairman Nanda Prasad Chaulagain reached Kathmandu for a delegation on December 24. The team included apple insurance victims and public representatives. They had started a sit-in at the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock since December 26.
Rural Municipality Chairman Chaulagain said that this agreement has provided relief for 97,220 seedlings of 511 farmers in Tatopani Rural Municipality and insured crops in Patarasi and Kanakasundari Rural Municipality. The apple insurance victims are excited about the six-point agreement between the insurance company and the farmers.
The farmers had launched the agitation alleging that the amount of damage was less than the premium amount paid for the apple insurance, that the report of the weather station was incorrect, and that the government was reluctant to pay the amount they claimed.
