India, Feb. 23 -- The state agriculture department has uncovered crop insurance irregularities worth nearly Rs.217 crore in Jalgaon district after using satellite imagery to verify banana cultivation claims - the first large-scale satellite-based check for crop insurance in Maharashtra.

The probe, conducted in the second week of February, was prompted by an unusual surge in insurance applications for banana crops. Satellite images revealed a striking mismatch between the areas declared for insurance and the crops actually present on the ground. Subsequent field inspections confirmed that in many cases, no banana crop had been planted, yet claims were filed.

Officials said that under the weather-based fruit crop insurance scheme for the ...