Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Manikrao Kokate has said the Ladki Bahin Yojana is creating a burden on the state coffers, affecting its ability to implement the farm loan waiver scheme. The Ladki Bahin scheme, launched by the previous Eknath Shinde-led government in August last year to provide a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to eligible women, is likely to cost the state around Rs 46,000 crore annually. The scheme is said to have played a key role in the ruling Mahayuti's win in the state assembly elections held in November 2024. Speaking to reporters in Pune on Sunday, Kokate said the financial strain caused by the Ladki Bahin Yojana has disrupted the state's ability to form a surplus that would otherwise be allocated for waiving the loans of farmers. "The burden created by the Ladki Bahin scheme has affected our ability to set aside funds for the farm loan waiver. We are reviewing the financial situation, and once the state's income increases, we will move forward with the loan
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday claimed that the BJP is the "biggest enemy" of Maharashtra's farmers and asserted that the state has decided that farmers will benefit only by removing the double engine government from power. In a post in Hindi on X, Kharge slammed the BJP over farmer suicides in Maharashtra and said the promise of making the state drought-free is a "jumla" (rhetoric). "BJP is the biggest enemy of Maharashtra's farmers. 20,000 farmers committed suicide. Huge cut in funding in farming. Promise of Rs 20,000 crore water grid turned out to be false. Promise of making Maharashtra drought-free is a 'Jumla'," he said. Kharge also attacked the BJP over its "refusal to give compensation to the farmers" while insurance companies are being showered with Rs 8000 crore. He hit out at the BJP over the export ban and high export duty burden on onion and soybean farmers and the huge drop in cotton and sugarcane production, putting farmers in distress. Kharge claime
Patole pointed out that this year, farmers in the state have faced drought in some areas and excessive rains in others
As many as 1,088 farmers committed suicide in eight districts of the Marathwada region in central Maharashtra in 2023, a report from the divisional commissioner's office revealed. The figure has gone up by 65 compared to 2022, an official said. Of the 1,088 suicides in 2023, Beed recorded the highest 269 such deaths, followed by 182 in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 175 in Nanded, 171 in Dharashiv and 103 in Parbhani, the report stated. Jalna, Latur and Hingoli reported 74, 72 and 42 such deaths respectively. As per the report, 1,023 farmer suicides were reported in 2022 in Marathwada, which comprised Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Hingoli, Dharashiv, Latur, Nanded and Parbhani districts. The administration probed into each case, and ex-gratia of Rs 1 lakh was disbursed to the kin in the eligible cases, the official said. Out of 1,088 cases, 777 were eligible for ex-gratia, which has been disbursed, and 151 cases are currently under inquiry, he said.
NCP president Sharad Pawar on Monday demanded that the ban on onion export be lifted and claimed the central government was ignoring the hard work of farmers. Addressing onion growers, who have been protesting against the Centre's decision, in Chandwad village of Nashik district in Maharashtra, Pawar said cultivators need to be united and demand their rights. "Nashik can show the way," he added. The Centre has banned onion exports till March 31 next year to increase domestic availability and to keep prices in check. Farmers in parts of Maharashtra have been protesting against the Centre's decision. Onion growers are small farmers who toil for a good crop, Pawar said, adding that during his tenure as Union agriculture minister, he never brought down the onion prices nor banned exports. "The ban on onion exports should be lifted immediately," he said. Pawar further said, "Bangladesh has levied Rs 160 (import) duty on grapes. The grape producers will face hardships due to this deci
Nearly 1 lakh hectares of land under cultivation in different parts of Maharashtra has been adversely affected due to unseasonal rains over the last few days, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has said, citing preliminary assessment. Two persons have died in rain-related incidents in Nashik district in north Maharashtra, a senior official said. Affected farmers will get compensation for crop losses caused by unseasonal rains, the CM said. "Authorities have been directed to conduct 'panchnama' (survey) of the damaged crops and affected farmers should be paid adequate compensation," Shinde told reporters in his political turf of Thane on Monday. He said preliminary information suggests that nearly 1 lakh hectares of land under cultivation in Marathwada, Vidarbha and north Maharashtra regions was affected due to untimely showers. "This is the government of farmers and workers. The government will always stand behind these classes," the chief minister said. The first estimate report prepa
Currently, numerous individuals across villages in the state are squarely dependent on external sources of water, such as tankers, to quench their drinking water needs
Paddy procurement at government-approved centres for the Kharif season 2023-24 is yet to start in Maharashtra's Gondia and Bhandara districts due to stringent terms and conditions, farmers and other stakeholders told public representatives here. During a meeting with many elected leaders, including minister Chhagan Bhujbal, on Wednesday, farmers from the two districts said they have no option but to sell their produce below the minimum support price (MSP) as government-approved procurement facilities are still not functioning. Members of many cooperative societies that accept paddy on behalf of the government also raised the issue of stringent terms and conditions for procurement centres. Bhujbal, who is the minister of food, civil supplies and consumer protection, assured the stakeholders of a positive outcome. He agreed, in principle, to give some relaxation in the terms and conditions for the procurement.
As many as 73 farmers have committed suicide in Maharashtra's Chandrapur district from January to July this year, including 13 last month, as per the district administration data. From 2001 to 2023, 1,148 farmers have ended their lives in the district, including 446 in the last five years, according to the data. A committee comprising the district collector, zilla parishad chief executive officer and superintendent of police had declared 745 farmers, who committed suicide between 2001 and 2022, as eligible for government compensation and 329 deceased cultivators as ineligible, as per the district administration. The district administration had sent a proposal to the government for providing compensation to the kin of the deceased farmers and 48 cases are pending from December 2022, the data said. "We are following guidelines updated in 2006 for providing the compensation amount of Rs 1 lakh to the kin of farmers who commit suicide," a senior official from the collectorate said. In
Farmers in Maharashtra's Ahmednagar district on Sunday halted the auction of onions to protest the Centre's decision to impose 40 per cent duty on export of the kitchen staple. Onion growers in Rahuri tehsil of Ahmednagar district halted the ongoing auction of the bulb in the wholesale market. The Central government on Saturday imposed a 40 per cent duty on the export of onions till December 31, 2023 to increase domestic availability amid signs of increasing prices. The Union government's anti-farmer stand has again come to fore. Farmers in Maharashtra were expecting good returns from onion exports, but the imposed duty has ensured that there will not be any export. The prices in the domestic market will crash and farmers will incur losses, said Sandeep Jagtap, state president of Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatna. Several parts of Maharashtra have received insufficient rainfall and this will delay the arrival of fresh onions in the market, he said, accusing the government of protecting
Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that more than ten million farmers will be benefitted from the state government's scheme
Senior Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Anil Deshmukh on Sunday asked the Maharashtra government to help the orange and sweet lime growers affected by unseasonal rains and cotton farmers who were not getting the right price for their produce. Former Maharashtra minister Deshmukh was addressing a press conference in Nagpur to inform about the 'Vajramuth' rally of Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), which comprises the NCP, Congress and Shiv Sena (UBT), to be held here on April 16. To a query on unseasonal rains in Vidarbha and other parts of Maharashtra over the last few days and Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis currentlty on a visit to Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, Deshmukh said while the farmers are facing trouble, the CM, his deputy and other government leaders have gone for "dev darshan" (to seek blessings of God). "It is not wrong, one can go for 'dev darshan', but the problems faced by farmers should not be ignored. In such times, the government should be ..
Crops on more than 60,000 hectares of land in Marathwada in Maharashtra have been damaged due to last month's unseasonal rains and a sum of Rs 84.75 crore would be needed to give compensation to 1.22 lakh farmers, an official said on Friday. Quoting figures from the crop loss assessment survey carried out by the state government, he said Nanded saw the maximum loss with crops getting damaged on 21,579.50 hectares and affecting 36,543 farmers. "In Aurangabad, crops were destroyed on 13,535.07 hectares and 35,015 farmers were affected. In Latur, damage was on 10,367.83 hectares affecting 22,565 farmers," he said. The official said the compensation needed to be paid in Nanded was Rs 30.52 crore, Rs 22.17 crore in Aurangabad, Rs 10.56 crore in Latur, Rs 3.67 crore in Jalna, Rs 4.37 crore in Parbhani, Rs 6.04 crore in Hingol, Rs 5.99 crore in Beed and Rs 1.39 crore in Osmanabad.
A 58-year-old farmer who participated in the long foot march of farmers from Dindori in Maharashtra's Nashik to Mumbai died on Friday night at Shahapur police station in Thane district
Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Tuesday said he has given directions to expedite the process of assessment of crop losses due to excessive rains in parts of the state and assured that the affected farmers will be provided compensation. Speaking to reporters at the Nagpur airport ahead of his visit to Gadchiroli district in the Vidarbha region, Shinde said his government has taken "72 big decisions" in the interest of the people in last three months and he will respond to the opposition's criticism by showing the work done by his government. He also said that the cabinet expansion will take place at an appropriate time. Asked about the status of payment of compensation to farmers affected due to excessive rains recently in parts of the state, Shinde said he has given directions to conduct the 'panchanama' (spot assessment) of the losses on a war-footing. "The affected farmers will get compensation, they will not be left out. The government stands firm with the farmers,"
Fruit growers in rural Maharashtra have started an innovative 'movement' to promote fresh fruit cakes as a healthier option, instead of the traditional bakery-made cakes
Considering a latest forecast of the Met department, Pawar asked the administration in the region to remain alert
He said the government also procured 418.8 quintal cotton, highest in the last 10 years
For the second time in 11 days, hundreds of farmers on Saturday took to the streets across Maharashtra to press for various demands including an increase in milk procurement prices.
Apart from land acquisition, another major cause for concern before the project is cost escalation owing to a fall in the rupee against the Japanese yen.