Farmers need Rs 1 lakh per hectare, government gave Rs 5,000: MLA Rohit Pawar

MLA Rohit Pawar alleged in Nanded that the state government is ignoring the basic concerns of drought-hit farmers. According to him, farmers need assistance of Rs 1 lakh per hectare, but the government has brushed them off with just Rs 5,000. Pawar said the government is busy with election campaigning and political manoeuvring.

Pawar said soyabean, sugarcane and fruit orchards have suffered heavy losses. He said farmers who managed to save their crops in difficult conditions are now facing obstacles from traders when selling their produce. He demanded that the government also pay attention to the financial exploitation of rural areas by microfinance companies.

Pawar also said the rural economy is crumbling and the government must put farmers' concerns above everything else. Referring to the Gokul milk union election, he said that despite pressure, the panel of MLA Satej Patil won.

On the allegations Manoj Jarange-Patil has made against Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, Pawar declined to say much. He appealed to political leaders and social activists to keep the discussion focused on the drought rather than diverting attention from farmers' concerns. MP Ravindra Chavan, former minister Madhavrao Kinhalkar and a few others were present at the press conference.

Pawar met the family of Kshirsagar, a farmer who died by suicide, and consoled them. He said he would take responsibility for the education of Kshirsagar's daughters and assured the family of help. He assured them that nothing would be allowed to obstruct the daughters' education and that whatever help was needed would be provided.

On the same occasion, Pawar also drew the administration's attention to farmers' concerns. He demanded that the administration waive farmers' loans and ensure adequate and regular power supply for farming.

At the press conference on October 18, 2026, Pawar said the government in Maharashtra is ignoring farmers' basic concerns and that conditions are worse than in the historic drought of 1972.

On the government's side, drought has been declared in 265 of 358 talukas (74 per cent). Under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms, assistance of Rs 8,500 per hectare, and up to a maximum of Rs 17,000, will be given. Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne said crops have been damaged in 76 talukas and a shortage of fodder and water is feared. Loan restructuring, a waiver of land revenue and concessions on electricity bills have been announced, and orders have been issued to keep water, fodder and power supply running smoothly.