NAGPUR: The combined opposition on Friday staged a walkout over BJP-Sena government's failure to announce aid package for over five lakh farmers affected by pink bollworm in state. The issue was raised through calling attention motion by Vijay Wadettiwar, Bacchu Kadu, Ravi Rana and others.
Agriculture minister Pandurang
Phundkar reiterated government's stand sufferers would be compensated in three ways. Government had received over 5.02 lakh forms from the affected farmers whose total area affected by bollworm was about five lakh hectares.
Citing chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, Phundkar added the government would announce package before end of winter session. His reply, however, failed to pacify the Congress-NCP legislators who demanded immediate announcement of compensation to the farmers. They also cornered the minister on discrepancy in figures printed in reply to a starred query and while replying to the call attention motion. Phundkar failed to explain the difference in numbers.
Earlier, the minister informed government had written to the Centre to help to farmers under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and had started conducting panchnamas in this regard. "We had already directed the seed producers to pay compensation as per 'Maharashtra Cotton Seeds (Regulation of Supply, Distribution, Sale and. Fixation of Sale Price) Act, 2009'. The victims would also receive money under 'Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (Prime Minister's Crop
Insurance Scheme)'," he said.
The opposition demanded immediate compensation of Rs25,000/acre to the affected farmers and Rs10,000/acre to paddy growers.
Claiming the government had failed to provide compensation to farmers since 2015, Wadettiwar and Balasaheb Thorat asked Phundkar how much time it would take to declare the package. They demanded lodging FIRs against companies like
Monsanto and Mahyco responsible for supplying substandard seeds.
Leader of opposition Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil demanded a policy decision on providing compensation at the earliest. He pointed out there was no reference of compensation due to bollworm attack in the insurance firms' manual and, therefore, it wouldn't be advisable to depend on them. "It is surprising that we are seeking guidance from Monsanto company, which was responsible for exploiting the farmers and raking moolah in crores," he said.
Senior NCP leader Ajit Pawar asked the government to provide compensation out of its own kitty and not wait for Centre's funds. "There are no figures of panchnama on record. Poor farmers from Vidarbha, Marathwada and
North Maharashtra need help. Government shouldn't wait for insurance firms, they may move courts if forced to pay."
Jaiprakash Mundhada and Abdul Sattar sought reply on alternative to Bt seeds as current variety's resistance to pest had reduced. Samir Kunawar wanted to know when these companies would be blacklisted.
Phundkar said the government would make the companies pay to the farmers. "We had already sealed their godowns and lodged police complaints in many cases. We have already directed the research institutions, agriculture universities and
Mahabeej to come up with new variety of seeds, which usually takes three years."
Blaming the then Congress-NCP government, he said the first Bt variety was introduced in 2002 and second in 2006-07 during their tenure but they failed to make efforts to produce new varieties since then.
Representative Image
