This story is from November 28, 2020

Maharashtra: Focus on farmers as NCP, Congress tend to their rural roots

The MVA government in the state made clear its agricultural focus with the declaration of a loan waiver within a month of taking over last year. Earlier this week, towards the end of its first year in office, it reinforced its image by announcing an additional incentive of Rs 700 per quintal for paddy farmers at a cost of Rs 1,400 crore.
Maharashtra: Focus on farmers as NCP, Congress tend to their rural roots
Picture used for representational purpose only
MUMBAI: The MVA government in the state made clear its agricultural focus with the declaration of a loan waiver within a month of taking over last year. Earlier this week, towards the end of its first year in office, it reinforced its image by announcing an additional incentive of Rs 700 per quintal for paddy farmers at a cost of Rs 1,400 crore.
Sometime in between, it procured record quantities of cotton despite the Covid-19 pandemic.
In a year in which crops were hit by flash floods and a cyclone, the state also announced a Rs 10,000 crore package to provide relief to affected farmers.
To recover Rs 41,000 crore in arrears for electricity bills generated from use of agricultural pumps, the state on Thursday last week declared an amnesty scheme, waiving interest and penalty and giving a discount on payment.
Under a new policy, it said it would provide two lakh new connections in two years and daytime electric supply of eight hours in three years.
Many in the Congress and the NCP, two of the three main constituents of the MVA, have a strong link with agriculture. The third party, the Shiv Sena, is realising the importance of the rural vote as it expands to more parts of the state from its city roots.
CM Uddhav Thackeray’s government had announced the Mahatma Jyotirao Phule Farmer Loan Waiver scheme on December 21.
It said an outstanding of up to Rs 2 lakh would be waived under the scheme with the cut-offs dates being April 1, 2015, and September 30, 2019.

It aimed to provide succour to 34.83 lakh farmers at a cost of Rs 29,000 crore. Unlike past practices, the money was directly transferred to the loan accounts of farmers.
As this year cotton production was at an all-time high, the cash crop was trading below the minimum support price of Rs 5,500 per quintal. The state and the Cotton Corporation of India procured nearly 50% of the crop.
Of a total of 407 lakh quintals produced, the two procured nearly 220 lakh quintals worth over Rs 11,000 crore.
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