Mumbai, Sep 26 (PTI) After the Maharashtra government declared a drought in 265 talukas of the state, Opposition Congress and NCP (SP) on Saturday demanded that immediate and substantial financial assistance be provided to the affected farmers, saying field surveys and paperwork can be done later.
Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal said the government must act on a “war footing” and immediately deposit Rs 1 lakh per hectare into farmers’ bank accounts as compensation, while NCP(SP) general secretary Mahesh Tapase sought to know the timeframe within which the financial assistance would be provided to the affected cultivators.
The Maharashtra government on Saturday declared 265 of the state’s 358 talukas drought-affected, announcing a slew of relief measures, including crop loan restructuring, land revenue concessions, and power bill subsidies.
According to a government resolution issued late on Friday, the drought covers 74 per cent of the state. Most of these talukas are in Solapur, Ahilyanagar, Nashik, Latur, Beed, Buldhana, Amravati, Yavatmal, Nagpur and Chandrapur.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has directed district collectors to initiate crop-damage assessments immediately and assured that farmers remain the centre of the government’s relief efforts in the drought situation.
In a statement, Sapkal said the government has declared a drought but did not announce any “substantial” financial assistance for farmers.
“The government should deposit Rs 1 lakh per hectare in farmers’ bank accounts first and complete the paperwork later,” he said, pointing out that the Dussehra and Diwali festivals were approaching.
He also demanded a loan waiver, free seeds and fertilisers for the rabi season, adequate fodder and cattle feed, complete waiver of educational fees for students and separate financial assistance for farm labourers.
The government should provide immediate and substantial financial assistance instead of “minor concessions”, he said, claiming that the kharif crop had been completely damaged in several areas and that there were serious shortage of water and fodder.
He questioned the need for extensive surveys and ‘panchnamas’ (crop loss assessment) when Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and both deputy chief ministers had visited drought-affected areas and seen the situation on the ground.
“The important question is how much actual assistance farmers will receive and when,” Sapkal said, adding that the government should take decisions on a “war footing”.
He said the government should also provide special financial assistance for the rabi season and waive crop loans, as farmers faced uncertainty over their livelihood and their children’s education.
Sapkal claimed that the present drought was more severe than the one in 1972, and said the government should formulate a comprehensive plan to deal with the situation.
Citing the employment guarantee scheme introduced after the 1972 drought and horticulture schemes introduced during Sharad Pawar’s tenure as chief minister, he said the government needed to come up with a similar policy response.
Sapkal also criticised ruling Mahayuti ministers for targeting the opposition over its questions on the drought response.
“The government is not doing farmers a favour by providing assistance. It is their right and the government’s duty,” he said.
The Congress leader said questioning the government was the opposition’s constitutional right, and asked ministers not to “teach the opposition a lesson”.
NCP(SP)’s Tapase questioned the drought relief package for 265 talukas, saying the financial compensation for crop losses had been deferred until completion of field surveys.
Reacting to the September 25 Government Resolution declaring drought under “Trigger-1” in 265 talukas, Tapase asked the government to specify when and how much interim and crop-loss compensation would be paid to the affected farmers.
The relief measures announced under Trigger-1 included exemption from land revenue, restructuring of crop loans, deferment of loan recovery, concessions in agricultural electricity bills, waiver of examination fees, relaxation of norms under the employment guarantee scheme, and arrangements for water tankers, fodder and drinking water, according to him.
However, the GR provides that compensation for crop losses would be dealt with through a separate order after completion of panchnamas, or field-level crop damage surveys, Tapase said.
“The government has declared drought in 265 out of 358 talukas and yet, in the same order, says compensation for the farmers’ actual losses will come later, after further paperwork and survey,” he said.
Tapase demanded that the government provide a firm timeline for completing the panchnamas and disbursing interim and actual crop-loss compensation in all 265 talukas.
He also referred to NCP(SP) chief Sharad Pawar’s September 16 letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, in which he had sought an immediate relief package of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare along with other measures.
Tapase asked the government to clarify when farmers affected by crop losses would receive the compensation in their bank accounts. PTI MR NP
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