How to File RTI for PMFBY Crop Insurance — Claim Delay, Rejection and Premium Refund

The Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY) is the Central Government's flagship crop insurance scheme, launched in 2016 under the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It covers farmers against losses from natural calamities, pests, and diseases, with the government subsidising a substantial share of the premium. Despite its scale, many farmers face delayed compensation, unexplained claim rejections, incorrect CCE (Crop Cutting Experiment) data, and premium deductions without enrolment. The Right to Information Act, 2005 is one of the most effective tools available to farmers who need accountability from the implementing agencies.

Both the District Agriculture Office (a state government body) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare (Central Government) are public authorities under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act, 2005.

What Can You Achieve with an RTI for PMFBY?

Filing an RTI for PMFBY can help you in several concrete ways:

Verify whether the CCE was actually conducted. PMFBY compensation is entirely determined by Crop Cutting Experiment data collected at the block or village level. Many farmers suspect CCEs were either not conducted or that the yield data recorded does not reflect ground reality. RTI can compel the Agriculture Department to provide the survey date, the name of the surveying officer, and the actual CCE yield data recorded — giving you evidence to challenge fabricated or incorrect numbers.

Understand the exact claim calculation. The compensation formula under PMFBY compares the threshold yield (TY) for your block with the actual yield (AY) recorded in the CCE. RTI can extract both these figures, the calculation applied, and the claim amount that should have resulted — allowing you to verify whether the compensation you received matches what the numbers require.

Get the reason for claim rejection in writing. Insurance companies sometimes reject claims without issuing a formal written reason. The District Agriculture Office, as the nodal state agency for PMFBY, holds correspondence between the state and the insurance company. RTI to the Agriculture Office can yield a certified copy of the rejection letter, the grounds cited, and the section of the PMFBY operational guidelines invoked.

Confirm whether your premium was remitted to the insurer. A persistent problem under PMFBY has been premium deducted from farmers' Kisan Credit Card (KCC) accounts but not forwarded to the insurance company by the bank — leaving the farmer technically uninsured. RTI can establish the chain: premium deducted → forwarded by bank → received by insurer → farmer enrolled.

Establish entitlement to a premium refund. If the state government did not pay its share of the premium subsidy in time, or if the farmer was enrolled without consent (a common complaint with KCC-linked compulsory coverage), RTI can document the basis for a refund claim.

Access district-level claims data. Beyond your individual case, RTI can be used to obtain the claims register for your district or block — how many farmers in your area filed claims, how many were settled, how many were rejected, and the total amount disbursed. This aggregate data is powerful for collective farmer action and media engagement.

Where to File: The Right Authority

PMFBY involves multiple layers — the Central Government sets the scheme guidelines, state governments implement the scheme through District Agriculture Offices, and private or public-sector insurance companies are the implementing agencies on the ground. Choosing the correct authority for your RTI is critical.

Individual Claims — File with the State Agriculture Department

For individual claim status, CCE yield data, premium remittance records, and district-level enrolment lists, the District Agriculture Office or the Block Agriculture Officer under your State Agriculture Department is the correct authority. These offices are state government bodies — file your RTI through your state's RTI portal or by post/in person to the office.

On first appeal (Section 19(1)), the First Appellate Authority (FAA) is typically the Joint Director / Deputy Director of Agriculture at the district or divisional level. Second appeal goes to your State Information Commission (SIC), not the CIC, because the District Agriculture Office is a state body.

National Policy and Company-Level Data — File with the Ministry of Agriculture

For the PMFBY operational guidelines, insurance company performance data (claims settled vs. rejected nationally), scheme design questions, or the central government's role in premium subsidy release, file with the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through rtionline.gov.in. Second appeal for Central Government bodies goes to the Central Information Commission (CIC) under Section 19(3) of the RTI Act.

The Insurance Company as a Public Authority

The insurance company implementing PMFBY in your district is contracted by the state government and operates a government-funded scheme — it is therefore treated as a public authority under Section 2(h) of the RTI Act for PMFBY-related functions. In practice, it is often easier to obtain company-held information by routing your RTI through the District Agriculture Office (the nodal agency that holds contracts and correspondence with the insurer) rather than approaching the insurance company directly. Ask the District Agriculture Office for correspondence with the insurer regarding your claim.

How to File: Step by Step

Step 1 — Check the PMFBY Portal First

Before filing an RTI, check pmfby.gov.in — the scheme's official portal. You can track your application status, check your policy details, and see whether a claim has been processed under your policy number. This step may resolve straightforward queries without an RTI, and it gives you the specific reference numbers (policy number, application number) that will make your RTI more precise and harder to deflect.

Step 2 — Identify the Correct Public Information Officer (PIO)

For state-level filings: identify the District Agriculture Office in your district. The PIO is typically the District Agriculture Officer or the Block Agriculture Officer at the taluk/block level. Contact the office or check your state government's RTI portal to identify the correct PIO designation and address.

For central-level filings: go to rtionline.gov.in, search for "Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare", and file online.

Step 3 — Draft Your RTI Application

Use the sample RTI draft provided above as your starting point. The most effective PMFBY RTI applications include:

• Your policy/application number and the name of the implementing insurance company
• The crop, season, year, and survey/khasra number of the affected land
• Specific questions about CCE data (date, officer name, yield recorded)
• The threshold yield and actual yield used for claim calculation
• The claim status — and if rejected, the specific reason and guideline provision
• Premium deduction details — farmer share, state subsidy, central subsidy, and confirmation of remittance to insurer

Keep each question numbered and specific. Vague questions are easier to deflect.

Step 4 — Pay the Fee and Submit

The RTI fee is ₹10 under the RTI (Regulation of Fee and Cost) Rules, 2005. BPL cardholders are exempt — attach a copy of your BPL card and state the exemption explicitly. For online submissions through your state RTI portal or rtionline.gov.in, payment is typically made via internet banking, debit card, or UPI. Keep the payment reference number and note it in your application.

Step 5 — Track, Appeal, and Escalate

The PIO must respond within 30 days under Section 7(1) of the RTI Act. If the matter pertains to life or liberty, the response must be given within 48 hours.

If there is no response, or the response is incomplete, evasive, or incorrect:

• File a First Appeal with the FAA under Section 19(1) of the RTI Act within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.
• If the First Appeal is unsatisfactory, file a Second Appeal under Section 19(3) — with the State Information Commission for District Agriculture Office matters, or with the Central Information Commission (CIC) for Ministry of Agriculture matters — within 90 days of the FAA's decision.
• Under Section 20 of the RTI Act, the Information Commission can impose a penalty of ₹250 per day (up to ₹25,000) on a PIO who fails to provide information without reasonable cause, and recommend disciplinary action.

What Specific Information Can You Ask For?

The following categories of information are commonly sought — and regularly obtainable — through RTI under PMFBY:

CCE and yield data:

• Whether CCE was conducted for your block/village, and if so, the date, surveying officer's name, and yield data recorded
• The threshold yield (TY) for your block/crop/season and the actual yield (AY) used in the claim calculation
• The methodology used to select CCE plots and whether the required number of CCEs were conducted in your block

Claim processing:

• Status of your specific claim — sanctioned, rejected, or pending
• Claim amount sanctioned and date of credit, or the specific reason for rejection with the PMFBY guideline provision cited
• Whether a mid-season adversity or localised calamity report was filed for your area, which would entitle you to interim compensation

Premium and enrolment:

• The premium amount deducted from your account, the farmer's share, state subsidy share, and central subsidy share for your policy
• Confirmation that the full premium was remitted to the insurance company and the date of remittance
• The list of farmers enrolled under PMFBY from your village/survey number for the relevant season and crop
• Whether your survey number was included in the list of insured land forwarded to the insurance company

Insurance company data:

• The name of the insurance company implementing PMFBY in your district for the relevant season
• The total number of claims filed, settled, and rejected in your district for the relevant crop and season, with the top reasons for rejection
• The grievance redressal officer's name, designation, and contact at the district level for PMFBY complaints

For RWBCIS (weather-based scheme):

• The weather station data (rainfall, temperature, or other index) used for the calculation
• The threshold parameters defined in the policy for triggering compensation
• The actual recorded values against those thresholds for your block/season

Documents you can request as certified copies:

• The rejection letter or intimation issued for your claim
• The insurance company's claims register for your district/block
• The MoU between the state government and the implementing insurance company for the relevant season
• The CCE yield report for your block submitted to the insurer

First Appeal (Section 19(1)): File with the FAA at the District Agriculture Office (state level) within 30 days of the date of decision or expiry of the 30-day response period, whichever is applicable.

Second Appeal (Section 19(3)): For District Agriculture Office (state body) matters — file with the State Information Commission. For Ministry of Agriculture (Central body) matters — file with the Central Information Commission (CIC) within 90 days.