Maharashtra Approves 7,500 Crore Drought Relief Before Diwali
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis approved advance payments for 1.5 crore farmers and requested the RBI halt forcible loan recoveries following a farmer's death.
The Maharashtra state cabinet approved a 7,500 crore allocation to provide advance drought relief of 5,000 each to approximately 1.5 crore farmers across 304 drought-hit talukas. Devendra Fadnavis, the Chief Minister of Maharashtra, directed that these payments be disbursed via Direct Benefit Transfer before the Diwali festival, specifically instructing banks not to deduct any amounts from the funds. Eligibility is limited to farmers with over 33% crop damage, including those on forest land without AgriStack IDs.
These measures come as more than 12,000 farmers from the All India Kisan Sabha marched from Igatpuri to Mumbai to demand loan waivers, crop insurance settlements, and land rights. In addition to the immediate payments, the government announced a fourth farm loan waiver list for 415,000 farmers and submitted a 17,500 crore relief proposal to Union Home Minister Amit Shah for crop losses and fodder management.
Addressing loan recovery practices, Fadnavis contacted the Reserve Bank of India to stop microfinance companies from using forcible recovery methods. This action follows the death of a 40-year-old farmer in the Nanded district who was allegedly kidnapped by recovery agents. The state has also expanded its drought-hit list to 305 talukas and implemented GPS tracking for water tankers to manage the crisis in regions like Marathwada.
