Maharashtra to bring bill to give legal status to women farmers: CM Devendra Fadnavis

Earlier, Fadnavis said, “We brought the farm loan waiver despite having no elections. For us, it is not a poll issue, but we do it to make farmers stronger. Waiver has never made farmers richer, but we have to do it to bring farmers into the net of lending. We had formed a committee to finalise the waiver. This will be the biggest loan waiver of Rs 36,585 crore, which will benefit 56 lakh farmers. It will be the biggest ever waiver announced.”

The CM added that the sub-committee under him has all the rights and will take necessary decisions to ensure benefits reach maximum farmers, maintaining that the present waiver has no conditions, while ensuring no adverse effect happens on the banking system.

He informed that Maharashtra has faced a monsoon deficit of 80 per cent till now, appealing to farmers not to rush with sowing. “According to the IMD, the monsoon is likely to hit Konkan by June 23. But Vidarbha and Marathwada are unlikely to get enough rain till the first week for sowing and that rain too will be scattered,” he said, adding that the deficit is 83 per cent in central Maharashtra and 86 per cent in Konkan. He added that advisories are being issued time-to-time to not undertake sowing until the farmland is saturated with 100mm rainfall.
Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar said that the Maharashtra government is committed to giving respect to women farmers and the government is set to bring a bill to ensure the same.

Earlier, Fadnavis said that the Opposition has failed to bring out a single new issue. “They repeat the same issues again and again, because they have absolutely no connection with the people and their issues,” he said, refuting allegations of the Opposition that contractors are being forced to pay 56 per cent commission to government officials.

Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said that the government’s flagship Majhi Ladki Bahin scheme will continue running and only those who are ineligible are being deleted.

Initially, the self-certification was the criterion for beneficiaries, but it was found that many took undue advantage, the CM said, adding, “Ultimately, a thorough cleanup had to be done, and those who are ineligible are being omitted.”

‘Sena is not a pvt property’

When asked about Uddhav Thackeray offering to quit the post as chief of his party, Fadnavis said, “Shiv Sena is a legacy of ideology and not private property. He should stop making statements of quitting the village head post, which is ravaged (Osad Gavachi patilki sodnyachi bhasha karu naye). Those who followed the original ideology decided to part ways under the leadership of Eknath Shinde. The real Shiv Sena of Balasaheb Thackeray and its symbol ‘bow and arrow’ belong to Eknath Shinde.”