What was discovered in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district regarding crop insurance?

Satellite verification in Jalgaon uncovered over 71,000 irregular crop insurance applications, including 27,416 claims filed for non-existent banana crops.

How much money was involved in the fraudulent crop insurance claims?

The fraudulent claims related to non-existent crops, inflated areas, and invalid records amount to Rs 293.41 crore.

What action has been taken following the crop insurance fraud discovery?

Police have registered five FIRs against 48 Common Service Centre operators, and over Rs 250.27 crore in subsidy disbursals were prevented.

Home / Crime and Justice / Satellite Scans Uncover Insurance Scam

Satellite Scans Uncover Insurance Scam

20 Mar

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Summary

27,416 bogus claims filed for non-existent banana crops.
Over 71,000 applications flagged as irregular in Jalgaon.
Fraudulent claims amount to Rs 293.41 crore.

A large-scale crop insurance fraud has been uncovered in Maharashtra's Jalgaon district, a region renowned for banana cultivation. Satellite-based verification revealed that at least 27,416 crop insurance claims were filed for land where no banana crops existed. In total, over 71,000 applications have been flagged as irregular, prompting police to register five First Information Reports (FIRs).

The irregularities were detected using satellite imagery analysis by the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC) under the Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme. Officials identified 48 Common Service Centre (CSC) operators involved in submitting fraudulent claims by uploading false crop details, inflating cultivated areas, and providing incorrect land records. The total value of these fraudulent claims is estimated at Rs 293.41 crore.