Maharashtra govt's flood relief package 'mockery' of farmers, it won't help heal their wounds: Oppn

Mumbai, Oct 7 (PTI) Opposition parties on Tuesday attacked the Maharashtra government over its Rs 31,628 crore relief package for flood-hit farmers, calling it as "hollow" and "too meagre" to help them rebuild their lives, and demanded a more "robust" assistance as well as a concrete rehabilitation plan.

The Congress said the flood relief amount was nothing but a mockery of farmers' suffering, while the Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) described it as a "blueprint for deception" that rubs salt into cultivators' wounds as it will "push them further into the trap of debt".

Heavy rainfall and floods in September severely affected Marathwada and adjoining regions, destroying crops on 68.69 lakh hectares across the state. Districts including Beed, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nanded, Yavatmal, Latur, Solapur, Dharashiv, Jalna, Parbhani, Buldhana, Hingoli, Nashik, and Washim have reported severe crop losses.

The Devendra Fadnavis-led Mahayuti government on Tuesday announced a compensation package of Rs 31,628 crore for the affected farmers.

CM Fadnavis said 29 out of 36 districts and 253 talukas suffered due to the heavy rains, and the package includes compensation for crop damage, soil erosion hospitalisation of injured persons, ex-gratia for the next-of-kin, damages to houses, shops and cattle sheds among others.

Criticising the government, Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar said, "The Mahayuti government is making fun of farmers. Between January and September (this year), 781 farmers have died by suicide in Marathwada alone. In the last 15 days of heavy rains, 74 more farmers have ended their lives. And yet, instead of offering meaningful support, the government has inflated numbers and presented a hollow package." He pointed out that farmers across the state have lost their land, livestock and means of livelihood.

"At such a time, they expected a compensation of Rs 50,000 per hectare. But the aid declared under the NDRF norms is too meagre to help them rebuild their lives. It will only push them further into ruin," he said.

Wadettiwar questioned why a state as prosperous as Maharashtra cannot provide a robust assistance when a state like Punjab has managed to offer up to Rs 50,000 per hectare from its own funds without any central assistance.

"Will the compensation be disbursed before Diwali? What help will the landless agricultural labourers - who are also in distress - receive?" he asked.

The Congress leader also reminded the government of its pre-election promise of a comprehensive farm loan waiver.

"Farmers are still waiting for the government to fulfil that promise. All they have received so far are repeated assurances and postponed dates. When exactly will the government announce a loan waiver?" Wadettiwar sought to know.

Describing the relief package for flood-affected regions as nothing but a "game of numbers", NCP (SP) spokesperson Amol Matele said it neither addresses the pain of farmers nor compensates the economic devastation they have suffered.

"The package announced by the government is nothing but a numbers gimmick. How is a farmer expected to rebuild his farm with Rs 47,000 per hectare? The land has been washed away - seeds, fertilisers, livestock, homes - everything is gone. These announcements will not heal those wounds. The government is rubbing salt into the farmers' injuries," he said.

Due to excessive rainfall, farmers have lost the toil of their entire lives. The government understands the damage only on paper. It has no connection with the ground reality. On the one hand, they talk about aid, while on the other, they push farmers deeper into the trap of debt. This so-called package is nothing but a government blueprint for deception, he added.

Raising serious questions about the aid, Matele asked, "When and how will this money actually reach the farmers? What are the survey criteria and what scientific method has been used to assess the damage? And are the funds allocated through MGNREGA meant as employment guarantee wages or as compensation?" "The government must stop playing with farmers' emotions," the NCP (SP) office-bearer said.

"What is needed now is a concrete rehabilitation plan, a clear assurance of loan waivers, and practical support to help farmers rebuild their livelihoods. The ruling party has insulted farmers by beating the drum of inflated figures," he said. PTI MR NP