Downpour of announcements, drought in implementation: Uddhav slams Maha govt

Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray on Sunday demanded the Maharashtra government declare wet drought in the state and provide Rs 50000 per hectare as compensation to farmers affected by rains without waiting for the loss assessment reportsIn a dig Thackeray said there is a downpour of announcements under the Eknath Shinde government and a drought in their implementation as he interacted with rainhit farmers in Aurangabad districtHe said the incumbent government loved to organise celebrations without bothering to see if people are happy and satisfiedThe former chief minister was talking to reporters after visiting Pandharpur and Dahegaon villages in the Aurangabad district where retreating rain damaged cropsThis state government is a celebrationloving government There is an excess downpour of the announcement whereas there is a drought in their implementation Events should be celebrated but the government should see the people in the state are at least satisfied he saidAlso read Thackeray family has lost connection with common people says Ashish ShelarThackeray said the state government must take efforts to change the relief criteria set by the National Disaster Response Fund as they have become outdatedHe also said the state government should follow up with the Centre on the implementation of the Beed pattern of crop insurance also called the 80110 formulaAccording to the supporters of the Beed pattern the formula gives benefits to farmers and the state by way of excess funds and to the insurer by capping the payoutsCalling his visit a symbolic one Thackeray said the state government must declare wet drought in the state and provide Rs 50000 per hectare as compensation to farmers affected by the rainsHe said the state government must begin providing relief immediately instead of waiting for the loss assessment reports to be submitted from all areasSpeaking to PTI farmer Kisanrao Dhonde 70 of Dahegaon in Gangapur tehsil said the heavy rains brought about by the retreating monsoons have destroyed his cropsMy farm is spread over 65 acres I had sown corn and cotton and harvest time was nearing I had taken a loan of Rs one lakh to cover the cost of production Now I wont even 30 per cent of this amount from the sale of whatever produce is left he saidDhonde whose farm was visited by Thackeray said his brinjal and okra cultivation has also rotted leaving his family with a debt of Rs 3 lakhI have no money to make repayments The state government must help us he saidDahegaon sarpanch Vikram Raut said loss assessment surveys have not been completed as yet in the area and no aid from the government has reached people in the village so farThe Maharashtra cabinet on Thursday approved a proposal to waive crop loans of a total of Rs 96415 crore taken by farmers from land development banks The assets and properties of land development banks will be transferred to the state governmentThe erstwhile Maha Vikas Aghadi MVA government led by Thackeray in 2019 announced that those farmers who repay the crop loan on time will get an incentive Initially the amount was Rs 25000 which was later revised to Rs 50000Now in opposition Thackerayled Shiv Sena NCP and Congress are demanding a declaration of wet drought in the state in the wake of retreating rain damaging crops of farmersThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever