Wardha, Oct 17 (PTI) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Saturday said leaders who live in huge bungalows, travel in expensive cars and run several institutions could never understand the value of Rs 5,000 provided to farmers as interim relief.
He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Wardha district, where he was conferred a D.Litt. degree at the 17th convocation of the Adani Institute of Higher Education and Research at Sawangi.
Asked about the criticism of the government over its decision to extend the interim financial assistance to drought-hit farmers, Fadnavis said this was the first time in the state’s history that such relief had been provided.
He said farmers had never received financial relief before December in the past.
Fadnavis had announced on Wednesday that an initial relief of Rs 5,000 would be deposited directly into farmers’ bank accounts ahead of Diwali, after the government added 40 more talukas to the drought-hit list, taking the total number of affected sub-divisions in Maharashtra to 305 out of 358.
This had prompted the Opposition to question how farmers could celebrate Diwali with only Rs 5,000.
He said the provisions of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) did not allow the government to release the funds quickly. However, the state government had found a way to provide Rs 5,000 to farmers as an advance, he said.
“If we look at the situation so far, a farmer with a small landholding would receive a minimum of only Rs 1,000. Now, even farmers with the smallest landholdings will receive at least Rs 5,000, and the remaining amount will be given later when the compensation is released,” he said on Saturday.
Fadnavis said neighbouring Karnataka, which has a Congress government, was also facing a severe drought but had provided only Rs 2,500 to farmers. Congress leaders who had questioned why Maharashtra had not issued a Government Resolution (GR), pointing out that Karnataka had issued one, had now fallen silent, he said.
“I understand the farmers’ suffering. Compared with that suffering, Rs 5,000 is not a large amount, but I am confident that it will provide some relief to farmers.
“When we gave Rs 1,500 to our beloved sisters under the Ladki Bahin scheme, the Congress and other Opposition leaders mocked the scheme and ridiculed the amount. But the Ladki Bahins knew the value of Rs 1,500. Our farmers know the value of Rs 5,000,” he said.
The CM added that leaders who live in huge bungalows, travel in expensive cars and run several institutions could never understand the value of Rs 5,000.
Earlier, Fadnavis had said that outdated conditions from a 1992 resolution that restricted educational fee waivers for farmers’ children had been removed, making the fee exemption universal across affected areas.
He said District Central Co-operative banks and credit societies had been issued strict warnings against coercive loan recoveries, harassment, or excessive pressure on farmers. Efforts were underway to do the same with private banks and financial institutions, he had said.
Fadnavis had also said that no coercive recovery or pressure was permitted for pending electricity bills, and agricultural pumps up to 7.5 horsepower (HP) would receive free electricity under state policy. PTI COR CLS NR
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