Telangana approves Rs 5 lakh insurance cover to farmers
Hyderabad, May 27: The Telangana government on Sunday decided to provide insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh to farmers in the state.
The state cabinet, in a meeting presided by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, approved the scheme of life insurance to farmers through Life Insurance Corporation of India.
The government will pay premium amount of Rs 2,271 per farmer per year and in case of the insured farmer's accidental or natural death, the nominee will be paid Rs 5 lakh.
All farmers between the ages group of 18 to 60 years will be eligible for the scheme.
According to an official statement, the total budgetary provision for this scheme will be Rs 1,000 crore. Premium for all will be paid by August 1 every year.
The scheme will be formally announced on June 2, the state formation day while it will be formally launched on August 15 by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao. He will distribute certificate of insurance among some farmers formally. Later, MLAs will continue distribution of certificates in their respective constituencies.
The government said though the premium amount is higher, it has gone for life insurance to infuse self-confidence among farmers.
The announcement came close on the heels of the launch of crop investment support scheme in the state.
Under the scheme launched on May 10, farmers will get Rs 8,000 per acre each every year as crop investment support.
The government plans to spend Rs 12,000 crore every year under this scheme, benefiting 58 lakh farmers. The financial assistance will be for two crops each year.
The state cabinet also approved the proposal to create seven zones and two multizones for appointment and transfers of government employees.
After the cabinet meeting, the Chief Minister left for New Delhi to meet President Ram Nath Kovind to request him to revise the earlier Presidential orders with regard to the zones.
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Skipper Rahane urges KKR to embrace tough days, play with freedom
Ahmedabad (PTI): Winless after six matches, time is running out for Kolkata Knight Riders playoff hopes but their embattled skipper Ajinkya Rahane has urged the side to "embrace tough phases, play with freedom, and focus on one game at a time".
Loss has been one constant for the three-time former champions this season as they endured a five-wicket loss against Gujarat Titans to slump to their fifth defeat from six matches with their solitary point coming courtesy a rain washout against Punjab Kings at Eden Gardens.
“It’s about accepting and embracing these tough days. Every day is a new day... trying to do better, playing with freedom, and backing each other," Rahane was at his philosophical best at the post-match media interaction here on Friday.
A minimum of seven wins is needed from a 10-team league to keep a team's playoff aspirations alive.
With eight matches to go and one point in their kitty, the task will be an improbable one for KKR from here on.
'Nothing to lose'
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Rahane, however, said they have nothing to lose and it's all about playing with freedom.
“We’re thinking one game at a time. It’s tough when you lose games, but everyone is trying their best. No one wants to lose any match -- we all want to win -- but that’s what sport is all about... keep your heads up. For us, it’s about going out there, being positive, and playing with freedom. We’ve got nothing to lose.
“Let me tell you one thing: everyone is working really hard. For us, it’s all about playing for our fans and the people of Kolkata, and we’re trying to do our best.
"After each and every game, there’s discussion about how we can improve. Obviously, when you lose, you tend to think about combinations and the areas we can get better at, so the discussion is always on."
Rahane won a fourth toss from six matches this season, but his decision to bat first once again raised eyebrows. Even his counterpart Shubman Gill said at the toss he would have preferred to bowl, keeping the dew in mind.
The call backfired as KKR slipped to 32 for 3 in four overs before their Rs 25.20-crore acquisition Cameron Green bailed them out with his best innings for the franchise so far, a 79 off 55 balls.
“It’s never easy when things are not going your way, and the courage he showed was fantastic. All credit to him," Rahane said.
“Yes, as a batting team we were thinking about 200 on this wicket. It would have been challenging, but let’s not take anything away from his innings.
“Attacking Rashid Khan and their fast bowlers, he was fantastic tonight for us.”
'Proud of bowlers'
The KKR skipper also admitted in the media interaction that there was a "bit of dew" but he hailed their inexperienced bowlers for taking the match till the final over.
From being 95/1 in nine overs in their chase of 181, GT were made to sweat with Jos Buttler, Washington Sunder, Glenn Phillilps and a well-set Gill falling against the run of play.
Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan eventually sealed the nervy chase with two balls to spare.
“Special mention to our bowling unit. It’s such an inexperienced attack with just two seniors in Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy, but the kind of improvement they’ve shown, especially in the last three games, has been fantastic," said Rahane.
“Kartik Tyagi, Vaibhav Arora, and Anukul Roy have also been fantastic, bowling tough overs in the powerplay and picking up wickets.
“Our support staff is doing a great job of keeping the environment really good. It’s all about accepting, but we will keep trying our best.”
