Jammu, September 24: The Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme (RWBCIS) has not yet been implemented in Jammu and Kashmir, the government informed the Legislative Assembly on Thursday.
The information was given in a written reply to an Un-Starred Question raised by MLA Shabir Ahmad Kullay regarding crop insurance coverage for fruit growers across the Union Territory.
According to the Agriculture Production Department, the J&K Government has started the process of identifying insurance companies for implementing the scheme.
The Government of India, in a communication issued on February 4, 2026, advised the UT Administration to begin preparations for a tender covering all 20 districts. The tender is proposed to cover the implementation of the revised PMFBY/RWBCIS guidelines from Kharif 2026.
The department also said that J&K participated in discussions with the Centre for finalising RWBCIS term sheets for apple crops, including coverage related to hailstorms and high-density apple plantations.
The apple insurance term sheets have been finalised, while the revised RWBCIS guidelines are still being processed by the Government of India.
The government said the tender will be floated once the revised guidelines are notified. The move is aimed at ensuring timely insurance protection for horticulture growers against weather-related losses.
The proposed coverage includes risks such as hailstorms, frost and heavy snowfall, along with other notified natural calamities.
The government clarified that preparatory work has begun, including the identification of insurance companies and finalisation of apple-specific term sheets. However, the scheme is yet to become operational in J&K as the revised guidelines and subsequent tendering process are still awaited.
