Maharashtra readies its own Rs 6k a yr farmer dole

  • | Friday | 22nd February, 2019

A family for this purpose has been defined as ‘husband, wife and children below 18 years of age.’ This criterion, according to state government’s figures, will leave around 700,000 farmers out of the. Thehas decided to dig deep into its coffers to offer an annual dole to over 700,000 farmers not qualified for the Union government’s Rs 6,000-a-year assistance.The state government, Mumbai Mirror has learnt, will set aside Rs 4,500 crore for this in its interim budget to be presented on February 27. The package will be aimed at rewarding them for not migrating to cash crops like cotton and soybean.Nearly 50,000 farmers began marching from Nashik to Mumbai on Thursday. Maharashtra governmentUnion government schemeOver 50,000 farmers began marching from Nashik to Mumbai on Thursday; (inset) CM Devendra FadnavisThe march was called off late yesterdayIn election year, state decides not to antagonise those not covered by Modi government’s yearly grant.This is the season of sops. Along with Rs 22,000 crore the government has already spent on farm loan waivers, this marks an eye-popping outlay of Rs 26,500 crore to mitigate farm distress.The state legislature’s budget session commences on February 25.The Union government has restricted its financial assistance to farmers whose family land holding is not more than 2 hectares (5 acres).

Maharashtra government Union government scheme Over 50,000 farmers began marching from Nashik to Mumbai on Thursday; (inset) CM Devendra Fadnavis The march was called off late yesterday In election year, state decides not to antagonise those not covered by Modi government’s yearly grant.This is the season of sops. Thehas decided to dig deep into its coffers to offer an annual dole to over 700,000 farmers not qualified for the Union government’s Rs 6,000-a-year assistance.The state government, Mumbai Mirror has learnt, will set aside Rs 4,500 crore for this in its interim budget to be presented on February 27. Along with Rs 22,000 crore the government has already spent on farm loan waivers, this marks an eye-popping outlay of Rs 26,500 crore to mitigate farm distress.The state legislature’s budget session commences on February 25.The Union government has restricted its financial assistance to farmers whose family land holding is not more than 2 hectares (5 acres). A family for this purpose has been defined as ‘husband, wife and children below 18 years of age.’ This criterion, according to state government’s figures, will leave around 700,000 farmers out of the. This, in an election, could prove costly to the ruling BJP-Sena government.Studies carried out by the state welfare department have revealed that land holdings in Marathwada and Vidarbha, two regions infamous for farmers’ suicide, are larger than the more prosperous western Maharashtra.There are around 1.52 crore farmers in the state and Agriculture Minister Chandrakant Patil has claimed that the central government’s scheme will benefit around 82 per cent of them.Apart from the guaranteed yearly income and loan waivers, sources have told this paper that the state government will also soon announce a package for farmers in rain-fed areas growing food grain. The package will be aimed at rewarding them for not migrating to cash crops like cotton and soybean.Nearly 50,000 farmers began marching from Nashik to Mumbai on Thursday. Their demands include a complete loan waiver, implementation of recommendations of the Swaminathan Commission and transfer of forest lands to farmers if they are the cultivators.This is the second time in less than a year that farmers will be marching to Mumbai.Modi government’s guaranteed income promise, which is going to cost it Rs 75,000 crore a year, was a reaction to Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s assurance to provide minimum basic income to poor households if his party was voted to power.

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