Nagpur, Dec 13 (PTI) Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Saturday blamed the BJP-led Mahayuti government for farmer suicides in Maharashtra, alleging policy failure, inadequate relief and neglect of the agrarian sector, and demanded bonuses for soybean and paddy.
Speaking during the final week motion in the assembly amid the ongoing winter session of the state legislature here, Wadettiwar said an average of eight farmers were dying by suicide every day in the state.
The Congress leader claimed that government announcements had remained largely on paper. He demanded a bonus of Rs 2,000 per quintal for soybean and Rs 1,000 per quintal for paddy, and sought urgent steps to address the agrarian crisis in Vidarbha.
He said unseasonal rains had affected 28 districts, and though the government announced a Rs 31,000-crore package, farmers received far less than promised. Dryland farmers were assured Rs 18,500 per hectare, but only about Rs 8,500 reached them, he alleged.
Wadettiwar said while the agriculture department required Rs 6,000 crore, the government allocated only Rs 616 crore, and no funds had been provided so far for the ‘Krushi Samruddhi’ scheme announced four months ago.
The Congress leader claimed that only 34 per cent of the agriculture budget had been spent, with barely two-and-a-half months left in the financial year. Input costs for seeds, fertilisers and pesticides have risen, and farmers are not getting remunerative prices for soybean, cotton and paddy, he said.
He also targeted the government on law and order, and said that crime had risen sharply in the state.
Referring to the National Crime Records Bureau, he alleged that Maharashtra had “topped the country in corruption and economic offences, ranked first in crimes against senior citizens, and fifth in juvenile crime”. He claimed the state witnessed “eight rapes and 51 kidnappings every day”.
He also raised concerns over missing children in Mumbai, alleged shortages in the police force, “with over 33,000 vacancies”, and said cops are severely stressed due to lack of basic facilities.
Wadettiwar further alleged the “spread” of MD drug in Pune, Mumbai and Nagpur, gutka rackets in Washim and Malegaon, and human trafficking in parts of Palghar district. He demanded a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into “allegations of pregnancy tests being conducted on girls returning to a tribal hostel in Pune”.
On alleged irregularities in land allotments, he claimed a plot at Mundhwa in Pune was sold at throwaway prices despite not being reserved for an IT park. He sought a white paper on revenue, grazing, government and endowment lands in the state.
The Congress leader also demanded that the “Vidarbha irrigation backlog” be cleared urgently, incentives be provided to industries to generate employment in MIHAN (Multi-modal International Cargo Hub and Airport at Nagpur), funds be allocated for conservation of forts in the region, and approval be granted to the Vidarbha Statutory Development Board. PTI ND NR
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