Maharashtra Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal on Monday demanded that the state government must immediately provide financial relief of Rs 50,000 per hectare to farmers whose crops have been devastated by heavy rainfall across the state, reported the PTI.
Parts of Maharashtra have been witnessing heavy rains recently.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Sapkal highlighted the dire condition of cultivators across almost all regions of Maharashtra, many of whom are facing massive crop losses due to torrential rains over the past few weeks.
“Farmers are in deep distress. The state government must act without delay. In addition to financial aid, free seeds and fertilisers must be provided for the upcoming Rabi season,” Sapkal said.
He criticised the ruling Mahayuti coalition in state, alleging that neither Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis nor his cabinet colleagues had addressed the issue of compensation or support for farmers.
Harshwardhan Sapkal also launched a scathing attack on the government over the financial handling of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), claiming misuse of funds.
“The BMC had fixed deposits worth Rs 90,000 crore, yet loans of Rs 1,300 crore were raised. A white paper must be issued on these questionable financial decisions,” Sapkal said, as per the PTI.
On the controversy surrounding the Shivajinagar metro station in Bengaluru, Sapkal accused CM Fadnavis of spreading misinformation.
“There has never been a proposal to rename the Shivajinagar station after St Mary. Fadnavis misled the public and owes them an apology. Residents in Shivajinagar have never objected to the current name,” Sapkal said, according to the PTI.
Taking a swipe at former Congress leader Ashok Chavan, who had earlier claimed he suffered a “14-year exile” in the party, Harshwardhan Sapkal said, “Chavan was made MLA, MP, minister, chief minister twice, and state Congress president. Workers are left wondering what kind of exile that was. Many say they would gladly accept such an exile.”
Harshwardhan Sapkal also announced that the Congress will organise a job fair at Tilak Bhavan on September 16, featuring over 40 companies from IT, banking, healthcare, manufacturing, retail, and service sectors, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
