Agriculture experts tell Maharashtra govt to give pension to farmers

After BJP's loss in the recent state assembly elections, Kishor Tiwari, chairman of the Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swavlamban Mission, a task force appointed by the state government to address farmers' distress, submitted a ten-point agenda to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to address rural distress before the 2019 general elections.

Tiwari sought Rs 5,000 per person under the pension scheme for farmers, interest-free education loans for their children, and financial aid for the marriage of their daughters.

Tiwari said that the BJP led government had failed to resolve farmer issues. He said that farm loan waiver, watershed management project, crop insurance, etc failed to pacify rural unrest.

"We need to have a concrete plan that can give relief to farmers community," said Tiwari in his letter to the Chief Minister.

He said that the loss of the BJP in the five states could be attributed to the agrarian crisis, as the party had neglected their needs, and also failed to protect the interests of minorities.

He said that CM Fadnavis should appoint an agricultural minister and secretary who are experts in the field and genuinely interested in resolving farmers' issues.

"Like Telangana, the financial aid of Rs 5,000 per acre should be offered to farmers of non-irrigated land across Maharashtra. Most of the farmers are in a dire financial state. They are struggling to get two square meals, so they should be allotted pension and allowed to live a life of dignity. PM Narendra Modi had promised this pension scheme during the 2014 general elections. It is high time to implement it," Tiwari said.

Task Force Says

• State govt should also:
• Waive loans from private moneylenders 
• Start food security scheme: 35kg foodgrain for each BPL family 
• Arrange marriages for farmers’ daughters; start health centres in each village; declare Marathwada, Vidarbha liquor-free; improve PM’s insurance scheme