News Analysis India

Tag: Marathwada

  • ‘One lakh farmers are contemplating suicide in Maharashtra’, reveals ex-state official’s report

    Express News Service

    MUMBAI: A confidential report submitted by a former Maharashtra government official has revealed that as many as one lakh farmers in the state’s Marathwada region were contemplating suicide. As per the report, the wretched decision is influenced by factors such as rising debt, infertile land, drought, lack of funds for kin’s weddings, lack of remunerative prices for agricultural produce, and rising poverty.

    According to the report, the Maharashtra government had carried out a survey featuring 10 lakh farmers in the Marathwada region and asked them 104 questions. The report revealed that a total of 2.98 lakh farmers had been mentally disturbed and were in distress of which 1.05 lakh farmers were contemplating suicide due to their financial situation.

    The survey had been aimed at preventing farmer suicides by understanding their psychology and launching various welfare schemes to support them.

    Former Aurangabad divisional commissioner Sunil Kendrakar, before taking voluntary retirement, had carried out the survey of ten lakh farmers in the Marathawada region and submitted a 25-page report to the state government. Kendrekar was scheduled to retire on May 31, 2024, but instead chose to quit the service after the Maharashtra government had accepted his VRS request last month.

    According to the report, Kendrekar has suggested abolishing all current state and centre government welfare schemes such as crop insurance and the Namo Sanman scheme in which the state provides an aid of Rs 6,000 along with the Centre’s aid of Rs 6,000. Kendrakar in his report stated that such schemes helped the farmers “very little” and “did not bring any positive change.”

    Kendrakar had also suggested terminating all staff and officers who are working in the agriculture and cooperation department because the salaries of these employees added a burden of Rs 8,000 to 10,000 to the state, rather than bringing any solution to the farmers. “Therefore, the agriculture department should seriously stop wasting money on these staffers’ salaries,” the report had stated.

    Instead, Kendrakar opined that every farmer should be given Rs 20,000 per acre of agricultural land as financial aid during the rabi and kharif seasons.

    “Each farmer should be given a total of Rs 20,000 as ex-gratia for per acre of agricultural land during both rabi and kharif seasons. If the farmer is owning ten acres of land, then he or she should be given Rs 2 lakh per year as financial aid rather than doling out various schemes and welfare programs that do not reach the farmers,” reads the report.

    The report stated that a total of Rs 50,000 crore must be raised annually to execute this mega overhaul of providing Rs 20,000 per farmer. The report also provided suggestions on how this Rs 50,000 crore sum can be raised.

    As per the report, a sum of Rs 30,000 crores can be saved annually if the welfare and insurance schemes for farmers are stopped. A sum of up to Rs 10,000 crores can be raised by terminating the jobs of agricultural and cooperative department staffers and officials. The remaining amount can be raised by increasing the stamp duty and registration charges from the current Rs 60,000 per acre to Rs 1 lakh. “Once these suggestions are implemented, farmers will surely get Rs 20,000 per acre for their land in Maharashtra. This will not only end their financial issues but also help them lead a comfortable life,” the report stated.

    NCP leader and MLC Eknath Khadse said that this is a very serious matter and urged the state government to think it over and bring solutions. He said every farmer’s life is important highlighting the report’s revelations.

    Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Munde said that he will check whether the former IAS officer had submitted a report stating that one lakh farmers in the Marathwada region were contemplating suicide. “Kendrakar was the divisional commissioner of Aurangabad so he must have submitted the report to the revenue department. I will check if the report has reached the government. I will read it and speak in detail later,” Munde added.

    Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. In case you feel distressed by the content or know someone in distress, call Sneha Foundation – 04424640050 (available 24×7)

    MUMBAI: A confidential report submitted by a former Maharashtra government official has revealed that as many as one lakh farmers in the state’s Marathwada region were contemplating suicide. As per the report, the wretched decision is influenced by factors such as rising debt, infertile land, drought, lack of funds for kin’s weddings, lack of remunerative prices for agricultural produce, and rising poverty.

    According to the report, the Maharashtra government had carried out a survey featuring 10 lakh farmers in the Marathwada region and asked them 104 questions. The report revealed that a total of 2.98 lakh farmers had been mentally disturbed and were in distress of which 1.05 lakh farmers were contemplating suicide due to their financial situation.

    The survey had been aimed at preventing farmer suicides by understanding their psychology and launching various welfare schemes to support them.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2′); });

    Former Aurangabad divisional commissioner Sunil Kendrakar, before taking voluntary retirement, had carried out the survey of ten lakh farmers in the Marathawada region and submitted a 25-page report to the state government. Kendrekar was scheduled to retire on May 31, 2024, but instead chose to quit the service after the Maharashtra government had accepted his VRS request last month.

    According to the report, Kendrekar has suggested abolishing all current state and centre government welfare schemes such as crop insurance and the Namo Sanman scheme in which the state provides an aid of Rs 6,000 along with the Centre’s aid of Rs 6,000. Kendrakar in his report stated that such schemes helped the farmers “very little” and “did not bring any positive change.”

    Kendrakar had also suggested terminating all staff and officers who are working in the agriculture and cooperation department because the salaries of these employees added a burden of Rs 8,000 to 10,000 to the state, rather than bringing any solution to the farmers. “Therefore, the agriculture department should seriously stop wasting money on these staffers’ salaries,” the report had stated.

    Instead, Kendrakar opined that every farmer should be given Rs 20,000 per acre of agricultural land as financial aid during the rabi and kharif seasons.

    “Each farmer should be given a total of Rs 20,000 as ex-gratia for per acre of agricultural land during both rabi and kharif seasons. If the farmer is owning ten acres of land, then he or she should be given Rs 2 lakh per year as financial aid rather than doling out various schemes and welfare programs that do not reach the farmers,” reads the report.

    The report stated that a total of Rs 50,000 crore must be raised annually to execute this mega overhaul of providing Rs 20,000 per farmer. The report also provided suggestions on how this Rs 50,000 crore sum can be raised.

    As per the report, a sum of Rs 30,000 crores can be saved annually if the welfare and insurance schemes for farmers are stopped. A sum of up to Rs 10,000 crores can be raised by terminating the jobs of agricultural and cooperative department staffers and officials. The remaining amount can be raised by increasing the stamp duty and registration charges from the current Rs 60,000 per acre to Rs 1 lakh. “Once these suggestions are implemented, farmers will surely get Rs 20,000 per acre for their land in Maharashtra. This will not only end their financial issues but also help them lead a comfortable life,” the report stated.

    NCP leader and MLC Eknath Khadse said that this is a very serious matter and urged the state government to think it over and bring solutions. He said every farmer’s life is important highlighting the report’s revelations.

    Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dhananjay Munde said that he will check whether the former IAS officer had submitted a report stating that one lakh farmers in the Marathwada region were contemplating suicide. “Kendrakar was the divisional commissioner of Aurangabad so he must have submitted the report to the revenue department. I will check if the report has reached the government. I will read it and speak in detail later,” Munde added.

    Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. In case you feel distressed by the content or know someone in distress, call Sneha Foundation – 04424640050 (available 24×7)

  • Maharashtra’s water-starved Marathwada region records excess rainfall

    By PTI

    AURANGABAD: Marathwada, which is considered a drought-prone region in Maharashtra, has received 1,041.5 mm rainfall during the monsoon season this year as against its average of 679.5 mm, while parts of it continue to get pounded by heavy rains, an official said on Saturday.

    The region has received 153.27 per cent rainfall so far, he said.

    Officials have earlier said that at least 91 people have died, while over 25 lakh hectares of farmland were destroyed due to excess rainfall in Marathwada in the last four months.

    Marathwada comprises eight districts – Aurangabad, Latur, Osmanabad, Parbhani, Nanded, Beed, Jalna and Hingoli.

    “Isolated parts of four districts in Marathwada received heavy rainfall between Friday and Saturday. The highest rainfall of 107. 25 mm was recorded at Vihamandwa circle of Paithan tehsil in Aurangabad district in 24 hours ending 12 pm on Saturday,” the revenue department official said.

    The official said that above-65 mm rainfall was recorded in 12 circles in Aurangabad, Beed, Jalna and Parbhani districts starting Friday.

    Apart from Vihamandwa, heavy rains lashed Aurangabad, Balanagar (Aurangabad district), Ramnagar, Jamkhed, Talani (Jalna district), Beed circle and Sirsala (Beed district).

    In Parbhani, Takli-Kumbhakarna, Kupta and Sonpeth received showers.

    Water-logging and flooding occurred in Naregaon area of Aurangabad due to heavy rains, he added. The water level of Jayakwadi dam, the biggest in the region, reached 99.06 per cent on Saturday morning.

    Eighteen gates of the dam were lifted to a height of 1.5 feet and the water discharge has been increased by 9,432 cusec with a total discharge of 28,296 into Godavari river, an irrigation official said.

    Aurangabad guardian minister Subhash Desai on Friday took stock of the rain situation in the district via video-conferencing.

    Talking about the review meeting, collector Sunil Chavan later said in a video message, “63,000 farmers in the district have faced losses due to heavy rains in the last week of September. Fourteen deaths were reported (in the district) since June 1 in rain-related incidents. Aid of Rs four lakh each has been provided to the kin of the seven victims so far.”

  • BJP leader Pankaja Munde demands relief package for flood-hit Marathwada

    By PTI

    AURANGABAD: BJP national Secretary Pankaja Munde on Thursday demanded that the Maharashtra government declare a relief package for the Marathwada region where heavy rains and floods wreaked havoc earlier this week.

    She also took a swipe at NCP minister and her estranged cousin Dhananjay Munde for `not visiting’ his home district of Beed immediately.

    “Immediate aid should be declared for Marathwada in the form of a package. It should not be limited to only farmers but cover the losses on account of land erosion, damaged roads and cattle deaths too,” she said, speaking to a Marathi news channel at Beed. 

    “If relief is to be given immediately, the administration must move fast. The role of guardian ministers is to convey every small problem (from their respective districts) to the cabinet. But the guardian minister of Beed (Dhananjay Munde) went to meet farmers only after we reached the area,” she claimed.

    NCP leaders were busy with their `Samvad yatras’ (outreach campaigns) when the region was reeling under heavy rains, she alleged.

    Farmers have not got crop insurance or any other aid for the last two years, the BJP leader claimed.

    “The administration can do ‘Najar Panchanama’ (preparation of loss estimate by inspecting the site) and give aid to farmers. Detailed surveys can be conducted later,” she said.

  • AIMIM workers protest against Maharashtra CM; ‘thank’ him for ‘resolving’ woes of Marathwada

    By PTI

    AURANGABAD: The All India Majalis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) on Friday held an agitation here against Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray before his arrival for an event, wherein the protesters sarcastically thanked him for resolving various problems faced by the city and the Marathwada region of the state.

    This unique protest was held near Baba Petrol Pump in the city.

    Thackeray arrived in Aurangabad for a flag-hoisting ceremony on the occasion of the Marathwada Mukti Sangram Din (Marathwada Liberation Day) at a memorial located in Siddharth Garden.

    The AIMIM workers stood at the square carrying placards in hands, which read “Thank you chief minister for resolving the drought-related woes, clearing the irrigation backlog and for resolving other issues”.

    Former AIMIM corporator Naser Siddiqui said, “Aurangabad is now known as the city of potholes. Shiv Sena says that the party has given 14 mayors to the city. But the chief minister should assess what work they have done for the city.”

    “So we are standing here to thank the chief minister,” he said.

  • Halting water, irrigation projects in Marathwada may lead to farmer suicides: BJP MLA Prashant Bamb

    By PTI
    AURANGABAD: Certain water and irrigation schemes are being halted in Marathwada, and there is fear that this may lead to farmer suicides in the drought-prone region if it doesn’t get sufficient rainfall, BJP MLA Prashant Bamb has said.

    The legislator, who represents Gangapur constituency in Aurangabad district, claimed that he had made several attempts to meet Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray to discuss the issue.

    “The water and irrigation schemes, especially designed for Marathwada region, are coming halt. Clearances for the water grid project had been fast-tracked and tenders for this scheme were floated. However, the scheme worth Rs 45,000 crore was halted and just Rs 250 crore was given to a scheme in Paithan taluka. Moreover, Jalyukt Shivar scheme is not being implemented in the region,” Bamb said in a virtual address.

    The BJP MLA further said that earlier, the Shiv Sena had given priority to Marathwada and had taken a strong stand against the crop insurance companies.

    However, the companies are now not paying farmers for the losses, and if the region does not receive sufficient rainfall, there is a fear that farmers may commit suicide, he claimed. “I have written 19 letters to the state government on various issues, but haven’t received any response on the same,” Bamb said.

  • Maharashtra: Water storage in most of Marathwada dams less than that of last year

    By PTI
    AURANGABAD: While parts of western Maharashtra and Konkan are facing floods due to heavy rains, the water level in various dams of the Marathwada region has dipped as compared to this time last year, as per the irrigation department.

    The total water storage capacity of 45 big reservoirs in the region is 4,505.36 million cubic meters (MCM). “On Monday, the water stored in them was 1,991.22 MCM, or 44.2 per cent as compared to 47.01 per cent on July 26, 2020,” a report from the irrigation department said.

    It further said that 81 medium reservoirs in the Marathwada region had 247.84 MCM water on Monday as against their total storage capacity of 1,056.42 MCM. Their storage as of now is 23.46 per cent as compared to 30.19 per cent last year, the report said.

    Besides, 838 minor reservoirs have 212.15 MCM water compared to their total storage capacity of 1,810.49 MCM. They are filled up to 11.72 per cent of the total storage capacity as against 13.03 per cent last year.

    As on Monday, the Jayakwadi dam was filled up to 35.82 per cent of its total storage capacity, Majalgaon-31.7 per cent, Yeldari-69.57 per cent, and these figures were lower than last year, the report said, adding that the Sina Kolegaon dam (Osmanabad) had zero storage on Monday.

    However, the Lower Dudhna dam was filled up to 82.79 per cent of its total capacity, Lower Terna-56.6 per cent, Lower Manar-89.3 per cent, Siddheshwar-76.9 per cent and these figures were higher compared to last year.

    The Manjara dam, which supplies water to Latur city, was filled up to 22.36 per cent of its capacity, while its storage on this day last year was zero, the report said.

  • Marathwada concern for Maharashtra on long road to recovery

    Express News Service
    MUMBAI: Lockdown has been able to bring down Covid-19 cases in Maharashtra, but the rural belt, particularly Marathwada, is still witnessing a high number of positivity and mortality in the state.According to the Maharashtra health department, the high mortality is reported in Nanded, Latur and Osmanabad at  5.17%, 2.54% and 2.39% respectively against the state’s average of 1.32%.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi has pointed out that Covid is spreading in rural areas, therefore the state and its authorities should be alert to tackle the emerging situation.“The highest 39.50% positivity rate is reported in Ahmednagar, followed by 37.91% in Buldhana, 34.13% in Parbhani against the state average of 22.57% in the May 5-11 period,” stated the report.

    Rural districts of Buldhana, Ahmednagar and Parbhani have been witnessing the highest positivity for last three weeks where the positivity rate is between 30 and 39%. The health department report also indicates that in the next week starting May 23, more positive cases are likely to be reported in Beed in Latur, Parbhani, Nanded and Osmanabad districts in the Marathwada region of the state.

    Maharashtra’s mortality rate is 1.52% against a national average of 1.10% and global average of 2.07%. Earlier Maharashtra’s mortality was higher than other states, but Punjab’s mortality rate is now 2.39% and that of Sikkim 1.80% and of Delhi 1.54 %.

    Health Minister Rajesh Tope said positive cases are down in 15 districts, but in the rest of the 19 districts, the situation is a cause for concern. “Big cities such as Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur are showing a major drop in positive cases and the north and western Maharashtra too is recovering. Once the positive cases start dropping in Marathwada, then the Covid plateau will start bending in a big way,” Tope said.

    On April 24, Maharashtra reported 67,160 cases while on May 15, these cases came down to 34,884, which is a drastic recovery, though in a lockdown condition. “The result of people seriously observing the lockdown restrictions is clearly visible in Mumbai city. Rural areas are taking time. Despite the restrictions, people still arrange large weddings and other social functions which contribute to the spread of the virus,” said a senior health official.

    Chief minister Uddhav Thackeray on Monday addressed over 15,000 physicians and asked them to take care of the home quarantine patients by giving them advice and medication. He said the approach to tackle the situation has to be inclusive.

  • Hailstorm likely in Vidarbha, Marathwada regions of Maharashtra in next two days: IMD

    Gondia and Nagpur districts in the Vidarbha region received thundershowers on Tuesday, the official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) here said.