#Welfare Scheme

The Allahabad High Court has ruled that a farmer’s eligibility under the state’s accident welfare scheme is determined by active agricultural labor, not household income role. This sets a critical precedent for thousands of small and marginal farmers whose labor sustains family farms but who are often excluded by bureaucratic interpretations of 'breadwinner'.

Chhattisgarh High Court rules that drowning in any water body, including agricultural fields, falls under the Revenue Book Circular's natural calamity coverage. Medical evidence of drowning overrides administrative assumptions about water depth, entitling dependents to Rs. 4,00,000 ex gratia payment.

The Punjab & Haryana High Court ruled that a 90-day limitation period introduced after a beneficiary’s right accrued under the Deen Dayal Yojna cannot be applied retrospectively. The Court emphasized that beneficial legislation must be interpreted liberally, directing payment within two months as the amendment lacked explicit retrospective effect.

Uttarakhand High Court rules that dependents of deceased construction workers must file a formal offline application within ten days to claim Rs. 3 lakh death benefit under the 1996 Act. The Welfare Board is mandated to decide the claim within three months, failing which legal recourse is available.

Allahabad HC ruled that beneficiaries of welfare schemes cannot be penalized for administrative delays caused by state officials. The court quashed the rejection of a farmer’s widow’s insurance claim, holding that limitation periods must not override the scheme’s protective intent, especially when procedural lapses are attributable to the state.

High Court at Calcutta holds that compassionate appointment entitlement persists even if initial beneficiary becomes medically unfit due to state delay, affirming welfare purpose of Scheme 251-Emp.

Rajasthan High Court holds Nagaur Central Cooperative Bank liable for crop insurance claims denied due to its clerical errors on the National Crop Insurance Portal under PMFBY.