Drought assistance sought by Maharashtra govt from Centre inadequate, claims Rohit Pawar

NCP SP leader Rohit Pawar on Saturday claimed that the Rs 30000 crore drought assistance sought by the Maharashtra government from the Centre was inadequate arguing that it would translate into relief of only Rs 8000 to Rs 8500 per hectare for farmers affected by crop lossesDuring a visit to Shivani Lakh village in Ausa tehsil of Latur district the KarjatJamkhed MLA reviewed droughtaffected areas and criticised the state governments response to the agrarian crisisPawar questions Centres proposed drought assistancePawar said the Maharashtra government had sought Rs 30000 crore from the Centre under the National Disaster Response Fund NDRF and State Disaster Response Fund SDRF However he questioned whether the proposed assistance would be sufficient to address farmers lossesThe state government has sought Rs 30000 crore in assistance from the Centre under National Disaster Response Fund NDRF and State Disaster Response Fund SDRF However the proposed assistance seems to translate to just Rs 8000 to Rs 8500 per hectare for farmers he saidHe also questioned why the state government could not provide additional assistance from its own resourcesWhy cant the Maharashtra government provide Rs 20000 to Rs 25000 per hectare from its own resources Farmers need assistance but what about agricultural labourers They too are facing severe financial distress Pawar addedDemands Rs 1 lakh per hectare compensationPawar said the relief announced by the Devendra Fadnavisled government was insufficient given the scale of the agricultural distressHe demanded compensation of Rs 1 lakh per hectare for affected farmers and financial assistance of Rs 25000 for agricultural labourersThe NCP SP leader also questioned the delay in distributing the immediate assistance of Rs 5000 announced by the state government ahead of Diwali He claimed that only around 40 per cent of farmers had received the amount so farPawar warned that a major protest would be organised during the upcoming Winter Session of the Maharashtra legislature if the government failed to respond to the demandsRaises concerns over microfinance loan recoveryDuring his interaction with reporters Pawar also expressed concern over alleged harassment of borrowers by microfinance recovery agentsHe claimed that agents in several areas were using violence threats and intimidation to recover outstanding loans Such coercive practices he said were worsening the financial distress of vulnerable families and pushing some towards extreme steps including suicidePawar questioned what action the state government was taking to address complaints against recovery agentsClaims droughthit families migrating for workThe NCP SP leader alleged that farmers in droughtaffected areas were struggling with shortages of drinking water and fodder for their cattle while the government was preoccupied with political mattersHe said several families had been forced to migrate to Pune and other cities in search of livelihoodsPawar also claimed that some livestock owners were selling cattle worth around Rs 80000 for amounts ranging from Rs 10000 to Rs 20000 because of financial difficulties and the lack of fodderPawar responds to question on Baramati AgroWhen asked about allegations that water was being diverted by his Baramati Agro for industrial use Pawar declined to engage with the questionHe said he preferred to respond to people who had an adequate understanding of the subjectWith inputs from PTI