Is Maha govt sensitive to hardships faced by farmers, asks Opposition; CM says yes

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday said panchnamas are being prepared to assess crop losses caused due to unseasonal rains and his government is committed to the welfare of farmers.

Speaking in the Assembly, Shinde said he has spoken to the collectors of Nanded and Nashik districts to take stock of the extent of losses caused due to unseasonal rains on Thursday.

He said the panchnamas pertaining to crops destroyed by untimely showers last week are almost complete.

The issue was raised Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar who asked whether the government was sensitive to the hardships of the farmers.

“There is a yellow alert in the state. The climate is gloomy. Farmers are feeling the pinch of the damage to their standing crops due to unseasonal rains, which is leading to growers ending their lives,” Pawar said.

He added, ”Agriculture minister Abdul Sattar speaks insensitively about the hardships faced by the farmers. The situation needs to be taken seriously by the Assembly. The state will survive if farmers live.” Earlier in the day, members of the Maha Vikas Aghadi, the opposition bloc of the Uddhav Thackeray group, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party, staged a protest on the stairs of Vidhan Bhavan and shouted slogans demanding compensation for farmers who have lost their crops.

“What is the use of this government if they can’t give adequate price to farmers for their crops,” asked the legislators led by leaders of opposition In both houses Ajit Pawar and Ambadas Danve.