What is RWBCIS and how is it different from PMFBY?

RWBCIS (Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme) is a central crop-insurance scheme operationalised from Kharif 2016 alongside PMFBY. Both schemes are administered by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and share the same farmer-premium caps and the pmfby.gov.in portal. The core difference is the claim mechanism: PMFBY uses area-yield estimates from Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) supplemented by YES-TECH remote sensing, while RWBCIS uses weather parameters — rainfall, temperature, relative humidity and wind speed — measured at a Reference Weather Station (RWS) or Automatic Weather Station (AWS) as a proxy for yield loss. When the measured weather deviates from the thresholds specified in the state-notified term sheet, claims are computed and paid automatically, without a field CCE.

Which crops are usually notified under RWBCIS instead of PMFBY?

State governments notify RWBCIS for crops where weather variability is a stronger and more measurable driver of loss than composite yield — typically horticulture and short-duration crops with no well-established CCE base. Common notifications include mango, apple, grape, banana, pomegranate, guava, litchi, orange, potato, onion, tomato, chilli, coriander, cumin, isabgol, castor and sometimes cotton and pulses in specific districts. Each state's SLCCCI (State Level Coordination Committee on Crop Insurance) notifies the exact crop x district combinations at the start of each Kharif and Rabi season on pmfby.gov.in.

What premium does a farmer pay under RWBCIS?

Farmer-share premium under RWBCIS is capped at the same levels as PMFBY: 2% of sum insured for Kharif food and oilseed crops, 1.5% for Rabi food and oilseed crops, and up to 5% for annual commercial and horticultural crops. The balance actuarial premium is shared between the central and state governments, with the central subsidy capped at 30% for unirrigated areas and 25% for irrigated areas from Kharif 2020, and any excess borne by the state. North-Eastern states get a 90:10 central : state share.

What is a term sheet and who publishes it?

A term sheet is the notification document — issued by the state SLCCCI for each crop x Reference Unit Area (RUA) combination — that specifies the weather perils covered, the trigger thresholds and exit levels for each peril, the period of coverage (usually broken into phenological phases like vegetative, flowering, fruiting), the unit payout per unit deviation, and the maximum sum insured per hectare. Term sheets are published on pmfby.gov.in ahead of each season and become the binding contract between the farmer, the implementing insurance company and the government.

How are RWBCIS claims calculated?

Claims are triggered when the weather parameter measured at the notified RWS or AWS deviates from the term-sheet threshold during the notified phenological phase. For rainfall-deficit and rainfall-excess perils, the payout is per-mm of deviation between the trigger and exit levels, subject to a per-phase and per-crop cap; for temperature perils, per-degree-day of deviation; for relative humidity and wind-speed perils, similar per-unit payouts. The insurance company applies the formula in the term sheet to the actual weather record and credits payouts directly to enrolled farmers' bank accounts — no CCE, no individual loss survey, no manual claim intimation.

Is loss intimation within 72 hours required under RWBCIS?

No. Because RWBCIS claims are computed from weather-station data — not individual field losses — there is no requirement to intimate loss within 72 hours. The 72-hour rule applies only to PMFBY localised-calamity and post-harvest claims. RWBCIS farmers do not need to file individual claim applications during the season; they only need to ensure that they were enrolled by the state-notified cut-off date and that their Aadhaar-linked bank account is active for DBT.

What is the RWS and AWS network used for RWBCIS?

RWBCIS relies on a dense network of Reference Weather Stations (RWS) — one per 8,000 hectares in the plains and denser in hilly and horticultural belts — supplemented by Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) run by state agriculture departments, IMD, state agricultural universities and empanelled private weather-service providers such as Skymet and WRMS. Only weather data from an SLCCCI-notified station for that Reference Unit Area is admissible for claim computation. Data disputes are adjudicated by the DLMC (District Level Monitoring Committee) and, for cluster-level issues, by SLCCCI.

How quickly are RWBCIS claims settled after a phase ends?

Because there is no field yield assessment, RWBCIS payouts are typically settled faster than PMFBY. Per operational guidelines, insurance companies must release admissible weather-index claims within 45 days of the close of the notified phenological phase (or the end of the policy period for whole-period covers), subject to the central and state governments having released their share of premium subsidy. Delays beyond the timeline attract the same 12% per annum penalty payable directly to the farmer that was introduced under the Kharif 2020 revamp.

What is basis risk in weather-based crop insurance and how does RWBCIS address it?

Basis risk is the mismatch between the loss actually suffered on a farmer's field and the loss estimated from the reference weather station — for example, when localised hail damages an orchard but rainfall at the RWS shows normal readings. RWBCIS reduces basis risk primarily by densifying the RWS/AWS network (one per 8,000 ha in plains) and by using multiple phenological phases so that adverse weather in a critical short window still triggers payment. It cannot eliminate basis risk entirely, which is why states often notify PMFBY for cereals with reliable CCEs and RWBCIS only for horticulture and short-duration crops where weather is the dominant driver.

Where do I enrol and how do I check my RWBCIS policy?

RWBCIS enrolment is done through the same channels as PMFBY: the National Crop Insurance Portal at pmfby.gov.in, the Crop Insurance Mobile App, financing banks (for loanee farmers, auto-enrolled unless opted out at least seven days before cut-off), Common Service Centres (CSCs) and the implementing insurance company's agents. Policy status, term sheet, RWS mapping and payout history can be checked on pmfby.gov.in under Farmer Corner → Application Status / Know Your Policy. For grievances use the Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline (KRPH) toll-free 14447.

RWBCIS — Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme

RWBCIS is India's parallel weather-index crop-insurance scheme, operationalised from Kharif 2016 alongside PMFBY. Instead of area-yield estimates from Crop Cutting Experiments, RWBCIS pays out automatically when measured rainfall, temperature, relative humidity or wind speed crosses the trigger thresholds published in the state SLCCCI term sheet — no field survey, no 72-hour intimation.

At a glance

Ministry:Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare (DA&FW), Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare, Government of India.
Operational since: Kharif 2016 (alongside PMFBY, replacing the earlier Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme, WBCIS).
Coverage type:weather-index — payouts triggered by deviation of measured weather from term-sheet thresholds, independent of the farmer's actual yield.
Weather perils: deficit rainfall, excess rainfall, unseasonal rainfall, high or low temperature, high relative humidity, high wind speed, and (for hill crops) hailstorm and frost per notified term sheets.
Farmer premium (capped): 2% of sum insured for Kharif food and oilseed crops, 1.5% for Rabi food and oilseed crops, up to 5% for annual commercial and horticultural crops — identical to PMFBY.
Voluntary since: Kharif 2020 revamp — voluntary for both loanee and non-loanee farmers; loanee opt-out must be filed at least seven days before the state-notified cut-off date.
Portal & helpline: pmfby.gov.in (Crop Insurance Mobile App); Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline (KRPH) toll-free 14447.

How the weather-index approach works

Every notified crop x Reference Unit Area (RUA) combination has a term sheet — the binding contract that specifies:

The weather perils covered and the reference weather station (RWS) or automatic weather station (AWS) whose record is admissible for claim computation.
The phenological phases of the crop — typically vegetative, flowering, fruit-set and maturity — with separate trigger thresholds and sums insured for each phase.
The trigger and exit levels for each peril: for example, if cumulative rainfall in the vegetative phase falls below 60 mm the payout begins, and increases per-mm of further deficit up to an exit at 20 mm (below which the full phase sum insured is paid).
The per-unit payout (₹ per mm, ₹ per degree-day, ₹ per unit of relative-humidity index) and the maximum sum insured per hectare.

At the end of each phenological phase, the implementing insurance company reads the notified station's record, applies the term-sheet formula, and credits admissible payouts directly to every enrolled farmer's Aadhaar-linked bank account. There is no field CCE, no individual loss survey and no claim application from the farmer during the season.

Perils commonly covered under RWBCIS term sheets

Deficit rainfall — cumulative rainfall in the notified phase falls below the trigger level (drought / dry-spell proxy).
Excess rainfall — cumulative or single-day rainfall exceeds the trigger level (waterlogging and inundation proxy).
Unseasonal rainfall — rainfall during a phenological window where dry conditions are needed (e.g. mango flowering, cotton harvest).
High temperature (heat) — daily maximum temperature exceeds crop-specific thresholds during flowering and fruit-set.
Low temperature (cold / chilling) — daily minimum temperature falls below crop-specific thresholds (relevant for potato, apple, mustard, chickpea).
High relative humidity — proxy for disease outbreak windows (relevant for grape, chilli, onion, tomato).
High wind speed — proxy for lodging and pre-harvest damage (relevant for banana, papaya, sugarcane).
Hailstorm and frost — notified in specific hill and horticulture belts as add-on perils where automated hail / frost measurement is feasible.

RWBCIS vs PMFBY at a glance

Attribute	RWBCIS	PMFBY
Claim basis	Weather-index deviation at notified RWS/AWS	Area-yield via CCE + YES-TECH remote sensing
Loss intimation	Not required — automatic settlement	72-hour rule for localised & post-harvest losses
Typical crops	Mango, apple, grape, banana, potato, onion, coriander, cumin, chilli, isabgol	Paddy, wheat, pulses, oilseeds, cotton and other notified field crops
Farmer premium	2% Kharif · 1.5% Rabi · up to 5% commercial-horticulture	2% Kharif · 1.5% Rabi · up to 5% commercial-horticulture
Basis risk	Higher — depends on station density and localised weather	Lower for cluster losses; higher for individual-plot variance
Claim timeline	Within 45 days of phase close	Within two months of CCE finalisation / loss survey
Delay penalty	12% p.a. payable to farmer (Kharif 2020 revamp)	12% p.a. payable to farmer (Kharif 2020 revamp)
Portal	pmfby.gov.in	pmfby.gov.in

The RWS and AWS network

Term-sheet payouts stand or fall on the density and integrity of the weather-station network. RWBCIS operational guidelines prescribe at least one reference weather station per 8,000 hectares in the plains, with denser deployment in hilly and horticultural belts where micro-climates vary sharply over short distances. States use a mix of stations run by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), state agriculture departments, state agricultural universities, ICAR institutes and empanelled private weather-service providers such as Skymet, WRMS and Nabtech. Only data from an SLCCCI-notified station for the specific Reference Unit Area (RUA) is admissible for claim computation.

Enrolment cut-off dates

Each state notifies its own cut-off date for each season; the common Kharif cut-off is 31 July and the common Rabi cut-off 31 December, but the exact date varies by state, crop and district and is the binding deadline. Notifications are published on pmfby.gov.in ahead of each season, alongside the crop x RUA term sheets. Loanee farmers with a seasonal crop loan or Kisan Credit Card for a notified crop are auto-enrolled unless a written opt-out reaches the financing bank at least seven days before the cut-off.

Common reasons RWBCIS claims fall short

Basis risk— the notified RWS/AWS recorded normal weather while the farmer's field suffered localised damage.
Wrong RUA mapping— the farmer's village was mapped to a station distant from actual cropping conditions.
Enrolled after the cut-off — applications past the state-notified deadline are inadmissible even if payout triggers were breached.
Aadhaar–bank seeding mismatch — DBT credit fails after payout approval, even though the claim was computed correctly.
Trigger not breached— weather deviation stayed within the term-sheet threshold band, even if the farmer experienced yield loss (fundamentally different from PMFBY, where any yield shortfall > threshold triggers).
Term-sheet ambiguity — disputes over which phenological phase applied, resolved by DLMC / SLCCCI arbitration.

Grievance redressal

Toll-free 14447— Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline (KRPH), single-window grievance channel launched 24 February 2024, covers both PMFBY and RWBCIS.
Online: pmfby.gov.in → Grievance — submit and track by ticket number.
Insurance company district office — printed on the policy certificate; first-level resolution.
District Level Monitoring Committee (DLMC) chaired by the District Collector — second-level resolution for weather-station-data disputes and cluster-wide issues.
State Level Coordination Committee on Crop Insurance (SLCCCI) — apex state forum notifying crops, RUAs, term sheets and empanelled weather-station providers.

Related farmer-welfare programmes

RWBCIS is the weather-index complement to PMFBY — most states run both, notifying each crop under whichever mechanism fits its loss profile better. Combine the risk cover with the ₹6,000/year cash transfer under PM-KISAN to fund the farmer-share premium. A Kisan Credit Card seasonal loan auto-pays the premium for loanee farmers unless opted out. Pair with input efficiency from a Soil Health Card recommendation and the PMKSY Per Drop More Crop micro-irrigation subsidy — drip and sprinkler cut basis risk on rainfall-deficit years. At harvest, use e-NAM for assayed online price discovery, and browse our knowledge base for crop-specific weather-advisory content and the full schemes reference.

References

pmfby.gov.in — National Crop Insurance Portal: season notifications, RWBCIS term sheets, application status, grievance.
Crop Insurance Mobile App — official Android app on Google Play; application tracking, premium calculator.
Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline (KRPH) — 14447 — single-window helpline launched 24 February 2024, covers RWBCIS and PMFBY.
Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare — RWBCIS operational guidelines (notably the Revised Operational Guidelines, 2018 and the Kharif 2020 revamp circulars).
India Meteorological Department (IMD) — reference weather station network and phase-wise weather summaries used for term-sheet computation.
Press Information Bureau (PIB) — Cabinet approvals, Kharif 2020 revamp and KRPH launch press releases.

Frequently asked questions

What is RWBCIS and how is it different from PMFBY?: RWBCIS (Restructured Weather Based Crop Insurance Scheme) is a central crop-insurance scheme operationalised from Kharif 2016 alongside PMFBY. Both schemes are administered by the Department of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare and share the same farmer-premium caps and the pmfby.gov.in portal. The core difference is the claim mechanism: PMFBY uses area-yield estimates from Crop Cutting Experiments (CCEs) supplemented by YES-TECH remote sensing, while RWBCIS uses weather parameters — rainfall, temperature, relative humidity and wind speed — measured at a Reference Weather Station (RWS) or Automatic Weather Station (AWS) as a proxy for yield loss. When the measured weather deviates from the thresholds specified in the state-notified term sheet, claims are computed and paid automatically, without a field CCE.
Which crops are usually notified under RWBCIS instead of PMFBY?: State governments notify RWBCIS for crops where weather variability is a stronger and more measurable driver of loss than composite yield — typically horticulture and short-duration crops with no well-established CCE base. Common notifications include mango, apple, grape, banana, pomegranate, guava, litchi, orange, potato, onion, tomato, chilli, coriander, cumin, isabgol, castor and sometimes cotton and pulses in specific districts. Each state's SLCCCI (State Level Coordination Committee on Crop Insurance) notifies the exact crop x district combinations at the start of each Kharif and Rabi season on pmfby.gov.in.
What premium does a farmer pay under RWBCIS?: Farmer-share premium under RWBCIS is capped at the same levels as PMFBY: 2% of sum insured for Kharif food and oilseed crops, 1.5% for Rabi food and oilseed crops, and up to 5% for annual commercial and horticultural crops. The balance actuarial premium is shared between the central and state governments, with the central subsidy capped at 30% for unirrigated areas and 25% for irrigated areas from Kharif 2020, and any excess borne by the state. North-Eastern states get a 90:10 central : state share.
What is a term sheet and who publishes it?: A term sheet is the notification document — issued by the state SLCCCI for each crop x Reference Unit Area (RUA) combination — that specifies the weather perils covered, the trigger thresholds and exit levels for each peril, the period of coverage (usually broken into phenological phases like vegetative, flowering, fruiting), the unit payout per unit deviation, and the maximum sum insured per hectare. Term sheets are published on pmfby.gov.in ahead of each season and become the binding contract between the farmer, the implementing insurance company and the government.
How are RWBCIS claims calculated?: Claims are triggered when the weather parameter measured at the notified RWS or AWS deviates from the term-sheet threshold during the notified phenological phase. For rainfall-deficit and rainfall-excess perils, the payout is per-mm of deviation between the trigger and exit levels, subject to a per-phase and per-crop cap; for temperature perils, per-degree-day of deviation; for relative humidity and wind-speed perils, similar per-unit payouts. The insurance company applies the formula in the term sheet to the actual weather record and credits payouts directly to enrolled farmers' bank accounts — no CCE, no individual loss survey, no manual claim intimation.
Is loss intimation within 72 hours required under RWBCIS?: No. Because RWBCIS claims are computed from weather-station data — not individual field losses — there is no requirement to intimate loss within 72 hours. The 72-hour rule applies only to PMFBY localised-calamity and post-harvest claims. RWBCIS farmers do not need to file individual claim applications during the season; they only need to ensure that they were enrolled by the state-notified cut-off date and that their Aadhaar-linked bank account is active for DBT.
What is the RWS and AWS network used for RWBCIS?: RWBCIS relies on a dense network of Reference Weather Stations (RWS) — one per 8,000 hectares in the plains and denser in hilly and horticultural belts — supplemented by Automatic Weather Stations (AWS) run by state agriculture departments, IMD, state agricultural universities and empanelled private weather-service providers such as Skymet and WRMS. Only weather data from an SLCCCI-notified station for that Reference Unit Area is admissible for claim computation. Data disputes are adjudicated by the DLMC (District Level Monitoring Committee) and, for cluster-level issues, by SLCCCI.
How quickly are RWBCIS claims settled after a phase ends?: Because there is no field yield assessment, RWBCIS payouts are typically settled faster than PMFBY. Per operational guidelines, insurance companies must release admissible weather-index claims within 45 days of the close of the notified phenological phase (or the end of the policy period for whole-period covers), subject to the central and state governments having released their share of premium subsidy. Delays beyond the timeline attract the same 12% per annum penalty payable directly to the farmer that was introduced under the Kharif 2020 revamp.
What is basis risk in weather-based crop insurance and how does RWBCIS address it?: Basis risk is the mismatch between the loss actually suffered on a farmer's field and the loss estimated from the reference weather station — for example, when localised hail damages an orchard but rainfall at the RWS shows normal readings. RWBCIS reduces basis risk primarily by densifying the RWS/AWS network (one per 8,000 ha in plains) and by using multiple phenological phases so that adverse weather in a critical short window still triggers payment. It cannot eliminate basis risk entirely, which is why states often notify PMFBY for cereals with reliable CCEs and RWBCIS only for horticulture and short-duration crops where weather is the dominant driver.
Where do I enrol and how do I check my RWBCIS policy?: RWBCIS enrolment is done through the same channels as PMFBY: the National Crop Insurance Portal at pmfby.gov.in, the Crop Insurance Mobile App, financing banks (for loanee farmers, auto-enrolled unless opted out at least seven days before cut-off), Common Service Centres (CSCs) and the implementing insurance company's agents. Policy status, term sheet, RWS mapping and payout history can be checked on pmfby.gov.in under Farmer Corner → Application Status / Know Your Policy. For grievances use the Krishi Rakshak Portal & Helpline (KRPH) toll-free 14447.

Premium caps, term-sheet mechanics, station density norms and grievance contacts above summarise publicly available guidelines on pmfby.gov.in and DA&FW operational guidelines. Term sheets, RUA mappings and empanelled weather stations are revised every season; farmers should verify current terms in their state's RWBCIS season notification or with the nearest financing bank, CSC or implementing insurance-company district office before enrolling.