Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Kailas Patil on Wednesday said that the Maharashtra government's advance assistance of Rs 5,000 to drought-hit farmers ahead of Diwali was too little.
"How can the farmer – who has been devastated by the drought, and whose economic calculations have collapsed due to inflation – celebrate Diwali with a meagre aid of Rs 5,000?" Patil asked.
The Dharashiv-Kalamb MLA said the assistance was not genuine help, but amounted to a "mockery of the drought-hit farmers' plight".
Patil questioned why the state government was describing the measure as " advance assistance", even though 81 per cent panchnamas had been carried out, the authorities had carried out surveys of farms and dams, and the government had promised to provide assistance to all farmers.
"If the government had given assistance to farmers on the day that it declared a drought, then it would have been understandable to call it 'advance assistance'," the MLA said. "But it is talking about 'advance assistance' even after taking all these steps."
Fadnavis' announcement
Earlier in the day, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis noted that in the past year, the state had declared droughts in November and disbursed assistance only in December. "But in view of the situation this year, a drought was declared at an early stage," he told reporters.
Speaking after a state cabinet meeting, Fadnavis said the procedure for obtaining drought assistance from the Centre is not likely to be completed before Diwali. The state government has, therefore, decided to provide the amount as advance relief while awaiting central assistance, he said.
According to reports, this is the first time in Maharashtra's history that drought-affected farmers will receive advance financial assistance ahead of the festival. The announcement is expected to benefit around 1 lakh to 1.25 lakh farmers.
Drought-hit talukas rise to 305
Amid El Niño conditions, the state government has added another 40 talukas to the drought-hit list, taking the total to 305 out of 358 talukas.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Fadnavis said the government had decided to extend financial assistance to farmers facing crop losses and financial distress due to drought. He added that the process had been expedited compared with previous years.
Financial assistance before Diwali
“This Diwali is going to be difficult for farmers. It will be difficult for them to manage during Diwali. Considering this situation, we have discussed and decided to provide assistance to farmers in the coming days. We have decided to give Rs 5,000 to farmers as a Diwali bonus. This amount should reach the farmers' accounts before Diwali. The loan waiver amount is also being credited to their accounts,” he said.
The reports states that the assistance will be directly credited to the farmers' bank accounts before Diwali.
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