National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS)

What was the National Agricultural Insurance Scheme?

The National Agricultural Insurance Scheme (NAIS) was India's principal crop insurance scheme, introduced from the Rabi 1999-2000 season by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. Its objective, per the scheme document, was to provide financial support to farmers when a notified crop failed because of natural calamities, pests or diseases, so that they could continue farming into the next season.

NAIS is now closed. It was discontinued from Kharif 2016 and replaced by the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), which was launched on 18 February 2016. This guide explains what NAIS was and, crucially, points farmers to the scheme that has replaced it, because searching for "NAIS" today still leads many farmers to a scheme they can no longer join.

According to the NAIS scheme document hosted on the PMFBY portal, NAIS was implemented by the Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited (AIC) and was available to both loanee farmers (compulsorily, through their crop loan) and non-loanee farmers (voluntarily).

How did NAIS work?

NAIS was an area-based yield insurance scheme. Instead of assessing each individual farm, it fixed a threshold yield for a defined insurance unit (such as a block or mandal) based on past years' data. If the actual yield of the notified crop in that unit fell below the threshold; measured through crop- cutting experiments: every insured farmer in the unit received a proportionate claim, regardless of the loss on their specific field.

Farmer premium under NAIS:

• 2% of the sum insured for all kharif food crops and oilseeds.
• 1.5% of the sum insured for all rabi food crops and oilseeds.
• Actuarial rates (around 5% and above) for annual commercial and horticultural crops.

Small and marginal farmers received an additional premium subsidy on top. The scheme covered a wide basket of crops; roughly 35 crops in kharif and 30 in rabi across participating states.

Who was eligible for NAIS?

Under NAIS, coverage applied to:

• Loanee farmers. Those who took a crop loan (Seasonal Agricultural Operations loan) for a notified crop were covered compulsorily.
• Non-loanee farmers: any other farmer growing a notified crop in a notified area could join voluntarily.

Who could not benefit:

• Farmers growing crops not notified by their state for that season.
• Farmers in areas the state government had not notified under the scheme.

Because NAIS is discontinued, no farmer can newly enrol today. This is the single most important point. New coverage is only available under PMFBY.

What replaced NAIS, and what should farmers do now?

PMFBY replaced NAIS and the Modified NAIS from 2016. PMFBY retained the area-yield approach but reduced and standardised the farmer premium to a uniform 2% for kharif, 1.5% for rabi and 5% for commercial and horticultural crops, with the central and state governments splitting the balance of the actuarial premium as subsidy. PMFBY also added technology, smartphone-based crop-cutting, remote sensing and faster claim settlement.

If you are a farmer looking for crop insurance, you should enrol under PMFBY, not NAIS.

How to apply for crop insurance now (PMFBY) instead of NAIS

1. Decide your route: loanee farmers are enrolled automatically through their crop loan account at the bank unless they opt out; non-loanee farmers enrol voluntarily.
2. For voluntary enrolment, visit your bank branch, a Common Service Centre (CSC), an authorised insurance intermediary, or register on the National Crop Insurance Portal at pmfby.gov.in.
3. Submit land records, the sowing declaration and bank account details, and link Aadhaar as required for PMFBY.
4. Pay the farmer's share of the premium (2% / 1.5% / 5%) before the notified cut-off date for the season and crop.
5. Keep the acknowledgement and, in case of loss, report crop damage within the prescribed window through the PMFBY app or your insurer; the PMFBY helpline is 14447.

Legacy NAIS claims

New enrolment under NAIS is not possible. Any unresolved claim relating to a season when NAIS was still in force must be pursued through the Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited and the state agriculture department that notified the crop and area, using the records from that season. There is no fresh-application route for NAIS.

Help and where to verify

Because NAIS is a closed scheme, the live official resource is the PMFBY portal (pmfby.gov.in) and its helpline 14447. The archived NAIS scheme document is also hosted on that portal. For anything relating to your specific season, crop or legacy claim, contact your state agriculture department or the Agriculture Insurance Company of India. Do not pay any agent who claims to "enrol" you afresh under NAIS. The scheme no longer accepts new members.

Who is eligible

NAIS itself is closed and accepts no new members. The checklist below separates what NAIS eligibility looked like historically from who can actually get crop insurance today under PMFBY, its successor.

Historically eligible under NAIS (for reference only, cannot be used to enrol now):

• Farmers who took a Seasonal Agricultural Operations crop loan from a bank for a notified crop, covered compulsorily as loanee farmers.
• Any other farmer growing a notified crop in a notified area, who joined voluntarily as a non-loanee farmer.
• Farmers cultivating one of the notified food crops, oilseeds, or annual commercial/horticultural crops on land in a state that had opted into NAIS for that season.

Not eligible under NAIS, then or now:

• Farmers growing a crop the state had not notified for that season.
• Farmers in a block, tehsil, or district the state government had not notified under the scheme.
• Anyone whose only interest is a fresh NAIS policy: this route does not exist any more, regardless of crop or location.

Who should check PMFBY eligibility instead:

• Every farmer, loanee or non-loanee, sharecropper, or tenant farmer growing a notified crop in a notified area for the current season.
• Farmers who had NAIS or Modified NAIS coverage in an earlier season and want continuous crop insurance now.

How to check your application status

Because NAIS accepts no applications, there is nothing to track under the NAIS name. If you enrolled under PMFBY instead, status can be checked through:

• The PMFBY portal (pmfby.gov.in): log in with your registered mobile number or farmer credentials and open "Application Status" or "Farmer Corner" to see your enrolment and premium payment record for the season.
• Your bank, for loanee farmers: the bank branch that disbursed your crop loan can confirm whether the PMFBY premium deduction and enrolment went through, since this happens alongside the loan account.
• The PMFBY helpline (14447): call with your enrolment or policy reference number if the portal does not show your record or you are unsure whether payment was received before the cut-off.
• Common Service Centre or insurance intermediary: if you enrolled through one, they retain a copy of your acknowledgement and can help verify it was submitted to the insurer.

For any dispute about a season when NAIS itself was still in force, status cannot be checked online; it has to be pursued on paper through the Agriculture Insurance Company of India Limited and the state agriculture department that notified that crop and area.

Common reasons for rejection

These are the reasons an application or claim under this scheme lineage typically fails, and the specific way to fix each one.

• Crop or area was not notified for that season. NAIS and PMFBY only cover crops and areas the state government has formally notified. Fix: verify notification status with the agriculture department or bank before paying any premium, not after.
• Premium paid after the cut-off date. Enrolment and payment must be completed before the state's notified cut-off for that crop and season; a late payment is simply not accepted into that season's pool. Fix: enrol well ahead of the deadline rather than close to it, since bank processing can itself take a few days.
• Land records or sowing declaration do not match. If the crop declared does not match what was actually sown, or the land records do not match the applicant, the claim is rejected at the crop-cutting experiment stage. Fix: file the sowing declaration promptly and accurately, and correct land record mismatches at the local revenue office before the season starts.
• Bank account details incorrect or account since closed. Claim payouts and premium subsidies both route through the linked bank account; a mismatched IFSC, an old account number, or Aadhaar not linked to the active account causes payment failure. Fix: keep the bank account linked to your PMFBY enrolment active and update it with the bank if you switch.
• Loss not reported within the prescribed window. For localised losses, farmers must report crop damage within a short window after the event; a late report is generally not admitted regardless of the actual loss. Fix: report immediately through the PMFBY app, insurer, or helpline as soon as damage occurs, and keep photographic evidence.
• Trying to file a fresh NAIS application. Since NAIS itself closed from Kharif 2016, any attempt to enrol or claim under NAIS by name will simply not be processed by any bank or CSC today. Fix: enrol under PMFBY instead; it is the only live scheme in this lineage.