Maharashtra: Eknath Shinde pledges more sops, farmers to continue stir till implementation

Shinde has already announced a subsidy of Rs 300 per quintal for onion farmers and the government has agreed to increase the amount further. Meanwhile, the committee for implementation of the Forest Rights Act will have former CPI (M) MLA Jiva Pandu Gavit and Maharashtra Kisan Sabha president Ajit Navale. The long march is being led by Gavit and leaders of the Kisan Sabha’s state unit. The government has also agreed to include 88,000 farmers who could not apply for the 2018 Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Shetkari Sanman Yojana – a loan waiver scheme announced by the state government led by then chief minister Devendra Fadnavis – which will cost the state exchequer Rs 150 crore. These farmers were eligible for the 2018 scheme but didn’t benefit from it as they could not apply.

In addition, tribal farmers who could not apply for the 2018 loan waiver scheme will also be extended benefits of the scheme now.

After the meeting, Shinde said the discussion was positive and announcements in this regard will be made inside the state Legislature on Friday morning. “We told them that we are positive about the demands raised by farmers. We will make the statement in the Legislative Assembly on Friday,” he said.

Maharashtra Kisan Sabha president Ajit Navale said the discussion was positive and the government had accepted their demands. “However, accepting demands in a meeting and actually directing the administration to implement those decisions are two different things,” he said.

Navale added that the farmers’ long march will halt at Idgah ground in Vasind until it receives the minutes of the meeting, after it is tabled in the Assembly. “We will leave only after directions are given to the district administration to start implementation of the decisions taken, ” he said.

The long march has submitted a charter of 17 demands to the government, which include subsidy of Rs 600 per quintal to onions and transferring forest land to those cultivating it. It has also demanded 12-hour power supply for agriculture, farm loan waiver and compensation through NDRF for farm land affected by natural calamities.

The farmers have also raised demands about implementing the Old Pension Scheme for striking government employees as well as increase in the amount sanctioned under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.