Farmers to get ₹10,000 as immediate relief from Maharashtra government

Mumbai city news: The amount is being given so that farmers can start sowing operations for the upcoming kharif season

The state government on Tuesday decided to provide immediate financial assistance of up to Rs10,000 to all the small and marginal farmers to start sowing operations for the ensuing kharif season.

The farmers’ outfits, while negotiating with the state, had demanded immediate monetary help for farmers for the sowing of kharif crop.(HT file)

The government would be providing bank guarantee to nationalised and district central cooperative banks (DCCB) based on which farmers would become eligible to get up to Rs10,000 from the banks. The amount will be adjusted later when they avail fresh crop loan.

After announcing a complete loan waiver to farmers, irrespective of their land holdings, the state started chalking out parameters to ascertain their eligibility. The government need a few weeks to finalise the norms for the loan waiver.

To reach a consensus, revenue minister Chandrakant Patil has been meeting leaders from various opposition parties. After meeting Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) Sharad Pawar, Congress chief for Maharashtra, Ashok Chavan, the group is scheduled to meet Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on Wednesday.

The farmers’ outfits, while negotiating with the state, had demanded immediate monetary help for farmers for the sowing of kharif crop.

Meanwhile, both ruling allies, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Shiv Sena, locked horns over hogging the credit for the immediate relief offered to farmers

Sena minister Diwakar Raote said the state cleared the proposal after he raised the issue during a cabinet meeting.

“While moving a congratulatory motion for the chief minister, I made a point that small and marginal farmers need immediate help and the government must think about it. After this, the cabinet decided to approve up to Rs10,000 for them,” said Raote.

However, revenue minister Chandrakant Patil refuted Raote’s claims and said that the decision was taken after the high group of ministers met farmers’ representatives.

“I have convinced the NCP chief about the loan waiver and cleared all the apprehensions raised by him in the past,” Patil said, adding that he would be meeting Thackeray soon .