Rs 5,000 Diwali aid credited to 73 lakh drought-hit farmers; rest due within two days

The Maharashtra government has so far transferred the Rs 5,000 advance drought assistance to the bank accounts of 73 lakh farmers. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced this in Mumbai on November 4, after a Cabinet meeting. He said the remaining eligible farmers should be paid within the next two days.

Fadnavis said about 95 per cent of eligible farmers would have the money by then. The rest may wait longer. According to him, some beneficiaries have technical problems with their bank accounts, and these are holding up their payments. He said the problems would be sorted out and the balance paid soon. Farmers have been advised to check their accounts to see whether the money has arrived.

The Mahayuti government had promised the advance before Diwali. Crops across the state have been damaged by poor rain, water is scarce and households are short of cash. Marathwada, the region worst hit by the drought, is among the areas covered. The Chief Minister said 2.76 lakh farmers in the region have been paid, and added that the government is also trying to get water to farmers there.

The district level shows how the money moved. In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, where all nine talukas have been declared drought-hit, Collector Vinay Gowda G.C. said Rs 5,000 each was credited on Tuesday, November 3, to 2,39,320 farmers. Data on 5,92,271 farmers in the district has been uploaded and approved at the district level, and the remaining farmers are expected to be paid within two days. Farmers holding a Farmer ID were taken up first, with eligibility cleared through AgriStack information. The administration collected data from the agencies concerned, then verified and approved it before crediting the amount. Aid worth Rs 119.66 crore has been disbursed in the district so far, and offices at district and taluka level are working through holidays to finish the job.

The taluka-wise numbers of farmers paid are: Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar 17,036, Gangapur 32,855, Kannad 38,191, Khultabad 10,804, Paithan 32,805, Phulambri 15,650, Sillod 31,815, Soegaon 14,723 and Vaijapur 45,441.

On loan waiver, Fadnavis said Rs 4,064 crore has been freshly credited to 4 lakh 86 thousand farmers under the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farmer Loan Waiver Scheme, most of them in Marathwada. Under the scheme, about Rs 19,000 crore has gone to about 21 lakh farmers so far. Lists of eligible beneficiaries are still being verified, and farmers on them will be paid in the next round as the checks finish.

The Chief Minister said the government stands firmly with farmers. He told ministers to understand the distress caused by the drought and to spend Diwali with farmers, so that they can meet them directly and hear their problems.

Fadnavis also spoke on the sugarcane price agitation. He said it is hurting only the farmers, whose demand is a price above the FRP. He said the matter must be settled through talks between farmers and sugar mill owners. The government will mediate, he said, and Minister Hasan Mushrif has also been asked to step in. He appealed for the agitation to end peacefully.

Asked about the morchas being held in the state, Fadnavis said, "our morchas are against anarchy", and criticised the Congress's political role. He added, "We will foil the Congress's attempt at 'regime change'."

Farmers will now watch for the rest of the advance aid, the next round of loan waiver payments and any move on sugarcane prices.