Loan waiver scheme: 32 lakh farmers given compensation of ₹2,337cr, says Maharashtra CM

Fadnavis refutes Opposition’s charges, says compensation given to those affected by drought, pest attacks and fake seeds.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the Assembly on Tuesday that insurance companies have settled claims of more than 32 lakh farmers in the state and paid compensation of ₹2,337crore.

Congress and NCP MLAs raised slogans during the monsoon session of the Maharashtra state Assembly in Nagpur on Tuesday. (Sunny Shende)

Terming the farm loan waiver scheme a “failure”, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar and others claimed that more than 41 lakh farmers had been denied crop insurance. Of the total insurance claim of ₹2,269 crore, farmers have been given ₹747 crore, the Opposition said. They also alleged that cotton farmers who lost crops worth ₹3,000 crore owing to pink bollworm attack had not been given the compensation promised by the government.

The farm loan waiver, although originally worth ₹34,022 crore, had been curtailed to ₹15,000 crore, Opposition legislators said.

Replying to the claims, the CM said the companies held 44 lakh farmers eligible for financial assistance, which works out to ₹12,000 a hectare.

On the Opposition’s charge that cotton farmers who lost their crops owing to bogus Genetically Modified Bt cotton seeds had not been compensated, Fadnavis said the government has received more than 8 lakh claims for compensation. Of these, nearly 1.5 lakh claims have been verified and an assistance of ₹96.3crore has been given, he said.

Other claims are being verified and the state has raised the strength of survey officials from 70 to 1,700, he said.

Earlier, an aggressive Opposition, led by its leader Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil, refused to move out of the Assembly, demanding announcement of relief package for farmers hit by crop diseases, last midnight. Vikhe-Patil had warned the government that the Opposition would not move out of the Assembly until it gives details of per hectare relief package announced to cotton farmers suffering because of pink bollworm attack. Fadnavis had called them up at midnight and promised to make a statement on Tuesday.