Amid a vehement clamour by the Opposition Congress for immediate assistance to distressed farmers across the state, Maharashtra chief minister Eknath Shinde on Monday ordered a preliminary survey of damage caused to crops in the unseasonal rains witnessed in several parts of the state in the past few days.
After Shinde directed the district collectors across the state to conduct a preliminary survey of the damage caused to crops due to unseasonal rains, deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said: “The collectors will make an initial assessment of the situation and do panchnamas of the damage caused to crops. The state will lend assistance to all such farmers who have suffered crop losses”.
Fadnavis said that the tillers have been affected in varying degrees in different parts of the state with their rabi season (winter) crops getting damaged because of the sudden rains witnessed in several districts of the state during the last few days.
Informed official sources that Maharashtra government would seek an assistance of Rs 2,500 crore from the Centre to provide immediate aid to the affected farmers.
In a related development, the Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee president Nana Patole came down heavily on the Shiv Sena (Shinde)-BJP-NCP (Ajit Pawar) alliance government for its failure to provide immediate assistance to the farmers hit by the unseasonal farmers.
“Farmers in the state are faced with a severe crisis and are making repeated appeals to the BJP government but the government is unable to see the plight of the farmers. Due to the insensitive BJP government, farmers are talking about selling their organs to repay their debt. The state government has money to spend on publicity and hold events but it does not have funds to help the distressed farmers,” Patole said.
Patole said that the unseasonal rains over the last two days had once again caused huge losses to the farmers. Both the cropping seasons this year have gone waste due to natural calamities, and the farmers have become completely debilitated.
“The Shinde-BJP-Ajit Pawar alliance government is playing politics even in declaring drought. The government should help the distressed farmers by providing them help to get them out of the crisis, but the government hasn’t been bothered. The BJP government is anti-farmer and deeply insensitive,” he said.
Patole said that his party would raise the farmers’ issues in the forthcoming winter session of the State Legislature and force the state government to provide compensation to farmers. He appealed to the farmers to have patience and not take any extreme steps.