Ho'nble Union Minister for Fisheries Animal Husbandry and Dairying & Panchayatiraj Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh launched Live Stock insurance portal

1. At a Glance

• Livestock Insurance Portal (rashtriyapashubima.dahd.gov.in): a single digital platform for the whole cycle of livestock insurance: policy issuance, premium, claims, beneficiary verification and real-time monitoring [1].
• It runs under the Livestock Insurance activity of the National Livestock Mission (NLM), run by the Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying (DAHD) [1].
• It is relevant to UPSC because it touches risk cover for rural livelihoods, digital governance (DPI) in agriculture and cooperative federalism (cost shared by Centre and States) [1][2].
• It builds on the 2021 change to NLM that cut the farmer's premium share to a flat 15% [2][3].

2. Why in the News

• 28 Sep 2026: Union Minister of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying Shri Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh) launched the portal. He also holds Panchayati Raj [1].
• Also present: MoS Prof. S.P. Singh Baghel, Secretary (AHD) Shri Naresh Pal Gangwar, representatives of States and insurance companies, and more than 4,000 people online [1].
• The Secretary reported that more than 30 lakh animals had been insured during the year [1].
• The Minister asked insurers, States and stakeholders to publicise the scheme through social media and IEC campaigns [1].

3. Background & Evolution

• 2014-15: NLM started with 4 Sub-Missions and 50 activities [4]: 1. Fodder & Feed Development 2. Livestock Development 3. Pig Development in the North-Eastern Region 4. Skill Development, Technology Transfer & Extension

• 2021-22: NLM was restructured. CCEA approved it in July 2021 under the Development Programme, with an outlay of ₹2,300 crore [2].

• The farmer's premium share fell from 20–50% to a flat 15% [2][3].

• The cap rose from 5 to 10 cattle units per household [2][3].

• 21 Feb 2024: Cabinet added new activities to NLM [4]:

• breed improvement of camels, horses and donkeys

• fodder growing on wastelands, rangelands and degraded forest land

• 28 Sep 2026: the Livestock Insurance Portal was launched, moving scheme delivery online [1].

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Fact
Portal URL	rashtriyapashubima.dahd.gov.in [1]
Parent scheme	National Livestock Mission, Livestock Insurance activity [1]
Department	Department of Animal Husbandry & Dairying [1]
Ministry	Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying [1]
Launched by	Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Union Minister [1]
Launch date	28 Sep 2026 [1]
Farmer's premium share	15%, same for all categories and areas (earlier 20–50%) [2][3]
Remaining 85%: general States	Centre : State = 60:40 [2][3]
Remaining 85%: Himalayan & NE States	Centre : State = 90:10 [2][4]
Remaining 85%: UTs	100% Central [2][4]
Subsidy cap per household	10 cattle units (earlier 5) [2][3]
Cattle-unit equivalence	1 cattle unit = 10 small animals [3]
Exceptions to the cap	Pigs and rabbits: 5 cattle units only [2][3]
Outlay of restructured NLM (2021)	₹2,300 crore [2]
Animals insured during current year	Over 30 lakh (as of Sep 2026) [1]
Five-year performance	₹161.07 crore released; 60.80 lakh animals insured [5][6]*

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Economic

• Livestock is a key source of income for millions of rural households. Insurance covers losses from death of animals, disease outbreaks, accidents and natural calamities [1].
• The 15% farmer share makes premiums affordable, and the Centre and States pay the other 85% [2][3].

Social

• Raising the cap to 10 cattle units and counting small animals as fractions of a cattle unit helps small ruminant keepers (sheep and goat farmers) [3].
• The MoS pointed to how uncertain farming income is, which makes livestock insurance a form of social protection [1].

Scientific / Technological

• The portal connects farmers, States, insurance companies and implementing agencies on one interface [1].
• It aims at data-driven decisions and real-time tracking of policies [1].

Governance / Ethical

• Stated goals: transparency and accountability in claim settlement, and ease of doing business for farmers and insurers [1].
• Real-time monitoring is intended to reduce problems in beneficiary verification [1].

Administrative / Federal

• Premium subsidy is split by region: 60:40, 90:10 or 100% depending on the State or UT [2].
• Outreach depends on States' IEC work; the Minister called awareness a remaining gap [1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• 28 Sep 2026: Livestock Insurance Portal launched [1].
• FY 2026-27, up to launch: more than 30 lakh animals insured [1].
• 2025: PIB releases in Parliament replies on NLM performance and livestock insurance [5][6].
• Feb 2024 (older, but still relevant): Cabinet added camel, horse and donkey breeding and wasteland fodder to NLM [4].

7. Prelims Hooks

• The Livestock Insurance Portal was launched on 28 September 2026 by the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, not the Ministry of Agriculture [1].
• Portal domain: rashtriyapashubima.dahd.gov.in [1].
• Livestock insurance is an activity under the National Livestock Mission, not a stand-alone scheme [1].
• NLM started in 2014-15 with 4 Sub-Missions and 50 activities [4].
• CCEA approved the restructured NLM in July 2021 with an outlay of ₹2,300 crore [2].
• Farmer's premium share: a flat 15%, down from 20–50% [2][3].
• Centre : State share of the rest: 60:40 (general), 90:10 (Himalayan/NE), 100% Centre (UTs) [2].
• Subsidy covers up to 10 cattle units per household; 1 cattle unit = 10 small animals [3].
• Pigs and rabbits are capped at 5 cattle units [2][3].
• Cabinet decision of 21 Feb 2024 added camel, horse and donkey breed improvement to NLM [4].
• Fodder on wasteland, rangeland and degraded forest land was added to NLM in 2024 [4].
• More than 30 lakh animals insured in the current year (Sep 2026) [1].

8. Why 30 Lakh Insured Animals Is Still a Small Number

• The number is large, but the base it should be compared with is much larger
• The Secretary said more than 30 lakh animals were insured this year [1].
• A PIB reply to Parliament says 10.08 crore households keep livestock or poultry, as per the 19th Livestock Census (the national count of animals, done every few years) [7].

• Even if every insured animal belonged to a different household, that would still be only about 3% of livestock-keeping households.

• The scheme is 'demand-driven', and that keeps the number low

• 'Demand-driven' means cover is given only when farmers apply and States put in their share. There is no fixed coverage target [7].

• So the yearly figure shows how much States funded and farmers applied for. It does not show how many animals are at risk.

• Read the growth carefully

• An earlier Parliament reply gave 21.01 lakh animals insured in its financial year [7]. The 30 lakh figure for 2026-27 is higher, and the year is not over yet [1].
• This is real growth. But it is growth from a very small base.
• The 10.08 crore figure comes from an older census round. Before you use it in an answer, check it against the latest Livestock Census.

9. Why the State Budget, Not the Farmer, Decides Who Gets Covered

• The 2021 reform made the farmer's share small. The State's share is now bigger than the farmer's
• The farmer pays 15%. The other 85% is split 60:40 between Centre and State in general States [2][3].

• So a general-category State pays 40% of 85%, which is 34% of the premium. That is more than twice what the farmer pays.

• The central money is released only after the State pays

• States use the funds only after they put in their matching share (the State's own portion, which must be deposited alongside the Centre's) [8].

• If a State with a tight budget does not provide its share, its farmers get no cover, even though the Centre's money is available.

• Himalayan, NE States and UTs get a better deal on this

• At 90:10 the State pays only 8.5% of the premium. UTs pay nothing [2][4].
• So the funding rule itself makes coverage easier in these regions and harder in large general States. Many of India's livestock-rich States are general-category States.

10. Publicity Is Already Fully Funded — So Why Is Awareness Still a Gap?

• Lack of money is not the reason
• The Centre gives 100% central assistance to States for awareness and publicity under NLM [8].

• Yet at the launch the Minister still had to ask States and insurers to spread the word through social media and IEC (Information, Education and Communication) campaigns [1].

• What this suggests

• If publicity is fully funded and farmers still do not know, the problem is how the money is used or who carries the message. The amount of money is not the problem.
• Insurers earn premium on every policy they sell, but they get nothing extra for reaching remote herders. States pay a 34% share for every new policy (see above), so they have little reason to push hard for more enrolments.
• So calling it a 'lack of awareness' can hide an incentive problem. The people told to spread awareness gain little, or lose money, when more farmers enrol.

11. What the Portal Can Fix, and What It Cannot

• What it can fix: tracking and delay
• The portal puts policy issuance, premium, claims and beneficiary checks on one system with real-time monitoring [1].

• This makes it harder for a claim to sit unseen on someone's desk. It also shows which State or insurer is slow.

• What it cannot fix: who pays, and how the price is set

• A website cannot make a State deposit its matching share [8]. The main bottleneck is outside the portal.
• Premium rates are fixed by the Government after talking to public-sector insurers and States [8]. They are not set by open bidding or by measured risk.

• So the portal records prices. It does not make them cheaper.

• What it could make possible

• For the first time, policy and claim data from all States will be in one place [1].
• This data could show which animals, districts and diseases produce the most claims. That is the information needed to price premiums by risk instead of fixing them by talks.

12. Who Should Do What Next

• DAHD should publish State-wise coverage against the Livestock Census
• The headline figure is only a count of animals insured [1]. Dividing it by each State's livestock count from the Livestock Census would show which States are falling behind [7].

• The portal already collects this data [1]. Publishing it would add public pressure on States that do not provide their matching share.

• The Centre should consider a special funding ratio for States with low coverage

• The 90:10 ratio already used for Himalayan and NE States [2] is a working model.

• A lower State share in States with many livestock but few insured animals would ease the 34% burden explained above.

• DAHD should use portal claim data when it next revises premium rates

• Today rates are fixed through talks with public-sector insurers and States [8].

• Claim records from the portal can show real risk by region and species, so that rates follow actual losses.

• States should link publicity funds to results

• Publicity is already 100% centrally funded [8].
• The Centre could release the next year's publicity money based on how many new households enrolled, not on how many campaigns were held.

13. Anchors for Answers

• Data: 10.08 crore households keep livestock/poultry (19th Livestock Census), against 30 lakh+ animals insured in 2026-27, so coverage is at most about 3% of livestock households [1][7]
• Data: State share in general States = 40% of 85%, i.e. 34% of the premium, more than twice the farmer's 15% [2][3]
• Data: Awareness and publicity under NLM get 100% central assistance [8]
• Report/Committee: Parliamentary Standing Committee on Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Food Processing examines DAHD's grants and schemes [9]
• Scheme: PMFBY (crop insurance): use it for comparison, since both schemes depend on States paying their premium share on time
• Scheme: Livestock Census: the base data needed to measure what share of animals is actually insured

14. Mains Relevance

• GS-III
• Animal rearing; agricultural economics; e-technology to help farmers; risk mitigation and crop/livestock insurance.

• Inclusive growth and rural livelihoods.

• GS-II

• Government policies and interventions; welfare schemes for vulnerable sections.

• Centre–State fiscal sharing in Centrally Sponsored Schemes.

• Possible question stems: 1. Livestock insurance in India has historically low coverage. Assess how the 2021 restructuring of the National Livestock Mission and the recent digital portal address demand-side and supply-side constraints. (15 marks) 2. Digital public platforms can make welfare delivery more transparent but may exclude those without digital access. Discuss with reference to livestock insurance. (10 marks) 3. Livestock is the insurance of the rural poor, yet it remains uninsured. Critically examine. (15 marks)

15. Related Topics to Study Next

• Rashtriya Gokul Mission: DAHD's other flagship scheme, focused on indigenous cattle breeds; often confused with NLM.
• Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY): the crop-insurance counterpart; compare premium structures.
• National Animal Disease Control Programme (FMD and brucellosis): disease is a major source of insured losses.
• Animal Husbandry Infrastructure Development Fund (AHIDF): capital support in the same sector.
• Kisan Credit Card for animal husbandry and fisheries: credit-side risk management for livestock farmers.
• Livestock Census: the base data for coverage targets and cattle-unit counts.
• Digital Agriculture Mission / AgriStack: the wider digital agriculture framework.
• Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana: flagship scheme of the ministry's Fisheries department.

16. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Wrong ministry: livestock insurance is under DAHD, Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry & Dairying, not the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare or PMFBY [1].
• Wrong parent scheme: it is an activity under NLM, not the Rashtriya Gokul Mission [1].
• Premium share: the farmer pays 15% for all categories. The old 20–50% range no longer applies [2].
• Funding ratio for UTs: 100% Central, unlike 90:10 for Himalayan/NE States [2].
• Cattle-unit cap: it is 10 cattle units, except pigs and rabbits (5). 1 cattle unit = 10 small animals, not 5 [3].
• Launch year: NLM started in 2014-15; 2021-22 was the restructuring, not the launch [2][4].