The Congress ministers made a blistering attack on the Nationalist Congress Party for frequently diverting funds to western Maharashtra under the pretext of financial assistance to sugarcane farmers.
The Congress ministers made a blistering attack on the Nationalist Congress Party for frequently diverting funds to western Maharashtra under the pretext of financial assistance to sugarcane farmers.
Minutes after the proposal seeking cabinet consent on allocation of Rs270 crore was presented, there were protests. Industries minister Narayan Rane demanded there should be a threadbare debate on how many funds have already been diverted to western Maharashtra.
He also wondered why the sugarcane sector gets preference over farmers in Vidarbha and Konkan regions.
The cabinet proposal entailed sanctioning of transport aid for sugar cooperatives where the crushing of cane has already begun.
The justification for the aid was there are cooperative sugar factories which are not functioning, thus sugarcane needs to be transported to greater distances, thus increasing the transport cost. It sought that the government should subsidise the additional transport cost.
However, Congress ministers displayed unity in opposing the proposal. Minister for employment guarantee and water conservation Nitin Raut and health minister Suresh Shetty complained of secondary treatment to the cotton belt of Vidarbha, along with Mumbai. Interestingly, NCP ministers remained silent.
They did not counter the Congress protest. What upset the Congress was that funds received from the Centre for rural employment guarantee schemes were being partly diverted to sugarcane factories in western state.
The Centre has allocated Rs1,800 crore under EGS for the state. The Congress wanted the entire funds for employment in rural
Maharashtra.
The NCP ministers who are forever aggressive in getting things done often manage to get funds for their region in sugar sector and irrigation sectors. Another Congress minister said, "I am glad Rane has, for once, exposed the NCP's high-handedness in the cabinet."
The minister from Vidarbha pointed out, "How even the special package for farmer suicides see western Maharashtra walking away with maximum benefits."
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