Maharashtra CM Fadnavis unveils Rs 31,628 crore farm relief; Oppn dubs It eyewash

Mumbai: A cash-strapped Maharashtra government has announced a ₹31,628-cr relief package for farmers hit by heavy rains, particularly in Marathwada, where crops, livestock, and topsoil were washed away.

After the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state would give ₹47,000 per hectare to help farmers restore soil and another ₹3 lakh per hectare through MNREGA for recovery work. The state will also pay ₹10,000 per hectare more than the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms-offering ₹18,000 for dry land, ₹27,000 for seasonal crops, and ₹32,000 for irrigated land. "Farmers have not only lost their harvest but even the soil from their land. While it's impossible to fully compensate their loss, we have gone to the highest extent possible to help them stand back on their feet, Fadnavis said." He said 29 of 36 districts were ravaged by heavy rainfall, damaging 68 lakh hectares of farmland. Of the total, ₹18,000 crore will go directly towards crop-loss compensation, to be credited to farmers' bank accounts before Diwali.

Farmers who lost homes or shops will get assistance through the PM Awas Yojana and ₹50,000 in financial aid. Compensation of ₹30,000 per damaged well and for livestock losses will also be provided.

Opposition parties dismissed the package as inadequate. "This is nothing but an eyewash. Farmers don't need token relief-they need their debts cleared," said Maharashtra Congress president Nana Patole. NCP (SP) leader Jayant Patil added, "What the government has announced sounds big on paper, but farmers will see little on the ground. Without a loan waiver, this package means little."