Farmers Movement Archive

Over Rs 2,110cr disbursed to M’wada rain-hit farmers

Aurangabad: The administration has given around Rs 2,116 crore compensation towards crop damage for the benefit of rain-affected farmers in Marathwada till Tuesday, the authorities concerned said. The amount of help disbursed so far is 75% of the total help received by the division from the state government, the official data revealed. Aurangabad deputy divisional commissioner Parag Soman on Wednesday said that all eight districts in Marathwada have been asked to ensure speedy release of compensation. “As the first instalment towards compensation, the state government has released Rs 2,821.7 crore for Marathwada, where 100% disbursement will be over soon. The government is expected to release the second instalment of the remaining 25% after Diwali,” he said. The MVA government, in the second half of October, had declared a revised relief aid worth Rs 3,762.2 crore for the rain-hit farmers in the eight districts of Marathwada. The revised financial help was Rs 1,100 crore more than actual compensation worked out as per norms of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF). As per official data, over 4.7 lakh farmers in Marathwada were adversely affected by the rain during the recent rainy season, especially in September. Rajan Kshirsagar, of the Maharashtra Kisan Sabha, said the respective administrations should ensure that the help received from the government reaches the target farmers. “We fail to understand the logic behind disbursing the help in two instalments, with one said to get released after Diwali. It has been weeks since the natural calamity had hit the farmers and many farmers are still waiting for help hand from the government,” he said. Kshirsagar also said that inordinate delay in providing help to farmers would affect necessary preparations for the imminent rabi season.

The Times of India

2021-11-04

Aurangabad