It is to provide comprehensive insurance coverage against crop loss.
It is compulsory for farmers availing crop loans for notified crops in notified areas and voluntary for non-loanee farmers.
Premium rate – There is no capping in premium and one premium rate on pan-India basis. It is 1.5%, 2% and 5% for all Rabi, Kharif and annual horticultural/commercial crops, respectively.
There is no upper limit on the government subsidy i.e the difference between premium and insurance charges paid by the farmer.
Losses covered – Non-Preventable risk such as Natural Fire, Storm, Hailstorm, Cycloneand Inundation has also been included as a localized calamity. Post Harvest losses also covered.
A cluster approach will be adopted under which a group of districts with variable risk profile will be allotted to an insurance company
Use of Remote Sensing Technology, Smart phones & Drones for quick estimation of crop losses to ensure early settlement of claims.
It differs from the previous schemes like National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) and Modified NAIS (MNAIS) in the following ways
| Features | NAIS | MNAIS | PMFBY |
| Premium rates | Low | High | Lower than even NAIS |
| One Season – One Premium | Yes | No | Yes |
| Insurance Amount cover | Full | Capped | Full |
| Localized Risk coverage | No | Hail storm Land slide | Hail storm, Land slide Inundation |
| Post Harvest Losses coverage | No | Coastal areas – for cyclonic rain | Coastal areas – for cyclonic rain and seasonal rain |
| Use of Technology | Yes | Intended | Mandatory |
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