Plea in Assembly on behalf of drought-stricken areas; Discussions have political overtones

The Kharip season has been in vain due to low rainfall, standing crops were lost to unseasonal rain and there are no expectations from the Rabi season. The rates of all crops, including cotton, paddy and soybean, have fallen; the dairy business has crumbled because of this fall, and all this has resulted in an increase in farmers’ suicides. So, on Wednesday ( December 10), all the parties in the Assembly demanded that the government intervene and urgently announce a drought relief package of 25 thousand per hectare for arable land and 50 thousand per hectare for horticulture land. They also demanded the regularization of the power supply and the implementation of a loan waiver scheme for the drought-affected farmers.

Give Maharashtra ten thousand crores out of the crude oil savings: Ajit Pawar

The government is not spending money on the premise that the state has a large amounts of debt. However, the loans are within limits, and 400 farmers have committed suicide since Chief Minister Fadnavis was sworn in. Ajit Pawar demanded that 10 thousand crore rupees should be paid to the state to fight drought conditions, and that this money should be taken from the savings which have resulted from the central government’s reduction of oil rates. A pension scheme should be started for the widows and children of farmers who have committed suicide. The current assistance limit of 1 lakh should be increased. Ajit Pawar demanded that since Maharashtra’s dairy industry is experiencing problems, it should receive a subsidy of 4 rupees per litre and the export subsidy should be increased. He showed plants of soybean and cotton in the Assembly to demonstrate the condition of these crops in the drought-affected regions. He raised the question of how the farmer was to survive when only 8-10 cotton buds were growing on each cotton plant. Even 6 months after coming to power, the central government has not implemented, the recommendations of the Swaminathan Committee . . While issuing notices to sugar factories for rates as per “FRP”, the policy for exporting raw sugar was discontinued. When producers of cotton, soybeans and milk are incurring losses, who is experiencing “achche din”(good days), he asked. If this situation continued, he added, the state government would find it difficult to rule the state. He said it was ridiculous that a 1-litre bottle of water costs Rs. 20, while a litre of milk costs Rs. 17. Pawar demanded that a drought relief package of 25 thousand per hectare for arable land, and 50 thousand per hectare for horticulture land, must be announced and that electricity bills and crop loans must be waived.

“Pomegranate farming, which used to be profitable, has now gone down the drain. Onions were imported from Italy and Aghtanistan when there was no need., causing onion farmers to suffer. On top of this, the government’s policy caused the rates of milk to slide, so it is no wonder farmers feel that their hopes have been dashed and that they have been cheated. The united front government has always received funds from the central government. BJP’s speeches were attractive but misleading. However, now that the government has madethe farmers some promises, it is their responsibility to transform them into a reality.”
– Balasaheb Thorat