Maharashtra doles out free power to farmers

Over 23 lakh growers having pump-sets to benefit

Maharashtra's Democratic Front government on Wednesday announced a slew of sops for agriculturists, including free power to 23.34 lakh farmers owning pump sets, and a compensation of Rs 1,000 a hectare for farmers who have suffered more than a 50 per cent loss in production owing to a truant monsoon across 21 zillas.

The free power scheme, which comes into force from July 1, 2004, will entail an expenditure of Rs 1,500 crore for the state in 2004-2005.

Chief minister Sushilkumar Shinde said :"Considering the widespread drought like situation in almost all regions of the state where a spate of suicides have also been reported owing to crop failures, we have announced the compensation that will benefit small (read marginal) and medium scale farmers in the state. The compensation will be at the rate of Rs 1,000 a hectare with a maximum of Rs 2,000 a farmer."

In another decision, Maharashtra's cabinet of ministers yesterday accepted the report filed by the G B Pant committee that was appointed to look into the impact of wind mill power projects on monsoon patterns in the state.

The committee has rejected claims that a large number of windmill projects resulted in diminished rainfall in the region.

The state has cancelled three of its earlier decisions increasing salaries to three different categories of state employees by placing them from B category to A class employees.

These included the post of chief executive officers of municipal corporations (40 posts that were moved from class A to class B and 136 posts that were moved from class B to class A.

Similarly, of the 419 posts in the cooperative sector (assistant directors) 150 had been enhanced to class A category from class B, a decision that has now been reversed.

In another populist measure, the state has increased the compensation paid to those affected by natural calamities. Henceforth, the next of kin of persons (in the age group of 18 to 62 years) who lose their lives in natural calamities would be paid Rs 1 lakh (existing Rs 50,000).

Family of those in the age group of eight to 18 years would get Rs 50,000 (up from Rs 25,000), while the next of kin of a deceased up to eight years old would be paid Rs 50,000 (up from Rs 10,000) in compensation.

Shinde said while a truant monsoon had wrecked havoc with crops sowed by farmers in the state, the rainfall recorded over the last week had shown a marked improvement.

In 12 zillas there has been more that 100 per cent rainfall recorded, while 14 zillas experienced increased rainfall in the 75 per cent to 100 per cent range.

In nine zillas, rainfall levels were up to 75 per cent. The 100 per cent or more rainfall Zillas include Mumbai, Thane, Ratnagiri, Nasik, Dhule, Nandurbar, Ahmednagar, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Beed and Latur.

Interestingly Zillas that recorded over 75 per cent rainfall include the drought regions of Wardha, Bhandara, Osmanabad and Parbhani in Vidarbha region along with Mumbai suburban, Raigad, Sindudurg, Jalgaon, Pune, Kolhapur, Aurangabad and Jalna.