Maharashtra Government Clarifies Rs 6 Payment to Farmer Was Interest, Not Crop Loss Compensation

Maharashtra farmers experienced significant crop damages due to severe rainfall and flooding incidents.

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

Following allegations from a farmer in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district of Maharashtra who claimed receiving just Rs 6 for crop damages, the state agriculture department clarified on Thursday that this amount was not dispensed by the government.

In an official statement released on Thursday, P R Deshmukh, District Superintendent of Agriculture Officer for Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, explained that the sum was neither compensation from the government through crop insurance schemes nor through the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY), but rather was credited to the farmer's bank account as "interest".

Digambar Sudhakar Tagde, the farmer from Dawarwadi village in Paithan taluka, had informed reporters on Wednesday about receiving a notification that Rs 6 had been deposited into his account.

He had expressed his frustration, stating, "The government should be ashamed of paying so little. This amount is not even sufficient to buy me a cup of tea. The government has played a big joke on the farmers." He further alleged that while people have been awaiting compensation for two months, the government was transferring "such amounts".

These comments were made during Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Uddhav Thackeray's visit to Nandar village in Paithan, where he met with farmers suffering from crop losses caused by heavy rains and flooding.