GIS based comprehensive crop insurance management system: Detailed project report for the development of a GIS enabled GPR in state crop insurance scheme

"While transparency reduces corruption, good governance goes beyond
transparency in achieving openness. Openness means involving
the stakeholders in decision-making process. Transparency is
the right to information while openness is the right to participation"
- Narendra Modi
Crop insurance is one of the most reliable safety nets of the farmers of
our nation who are aected by the constant vagaries of nature. In Kerala,
the scheme of State Crop insurance which came in to force from 1995 has
been instrumental in providing area based risk assistance to 25 major crops
of Kerala. Through revised government orders in the subsequent years , the
latest by 2018 the scheme was given a wider coverage, even encompassing the
problems like diseases and pest infestation in selected areas and wild animal
attacks.The comparatively low premia rates,and good assistance amount make
the scheme a popular one among the farmers. Though insuring is considered
as a mandatory measure , the adoption rate is only a mere 13 percent among
the registered farmers .Due to the lack of speedy disbursal of assistance, wide
laxity encountered in providing the policy certicates , the interminable physical
processing of applications and often huge opportunity costs shouldered by
farmers involved, adversely aect the adoption rates. The eld sta is also
disheartened by the constant pressure from the top to provide a number of
reports in diverse proforma and recurring audit objections. As this scheme
is completely supported by the state budget plan fund , it is high time that
the present physical turn of processes may be replaced by a re engineered digital
comprehensive system . This will empower the credibility of the scheme,
making planning , budgeting and informed decision making a more fruitful exercise
in the wake of the " Rebuild Kerala" initiatives.
Hence the Detailed Project Report on GIS based Comprehensive Crop Insurance
Management System,investigates the scope of deriving a futuristic
need based solution to the multifaceted problems involved in the present processing
and work
ow of the scheme through Government Process Re engineering
. The applications of Geographic Information System in agriculture
are profound. In crop insurance scenario also its advantages like improved
eciency, low cost , better decision making, geographic information digital
record keeping, high quality analysis , resource mapping and allocation , improving
the organisational integration,and transparency etc can be utilised
for the betterment of the farming community. The eciency and eectiveness
of service delivery from the Department of Agriculture Development and
Farmers' Welfare can also be enhanced , boosting the condence and decision
making capacity of government ocials at each level. This proposal can also
be utilised not only in the scenario of crop insurance , but also in every
scheme envisaged by the government for the welfare of its citizens . Interoperability
and consensus among the various stakeholder departments is one
of the prime highlights of this DPR which is highly required in the success of
every e-governance venture.

PGDEG 2017-2018 INT Radhakrishnan T