Why is Congress Demanding Immediate Aid for Flood-Damaged Farmers?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Congress organized statewide protests for flood-hit farmers.
- Immediate financial assistance of Rs 50,000 per hectare is demanded.
- Call for the government to declare a wet drought.
- Protests occurred in multiple districts across Maharashtra.
- Farmers seek additional compensation for washout farmland.
Mumbai, Oct 3 (NationPress) On Friday, the Congress party organized protests across the state, urging for immediate relief for farmers severely impacted by the recent torrential rains and flooding. They called on the state government to declare a wet drought, allocate immediate support of Rs 50,000 per hectare to the affected farmers, implement a full loan waiver, relieve outstanding electricity bills, and provide supplementary compensation for farmland that has been destroyed.
The Congress party's announcement criticized the BJP-led MahaYuti government in Maharashtra for merely engaging in empty promises while farmers continue to suffer substantial losses due to the intense rainfall. Shockingly, no relief has been provided to farmers as of now.
In Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, protests took place in front of the District Collector’s office, organized by the District and City Congress Committees.
Numerous officials were present, including MP Dr. Kalyan Kale, District President Kiran Patil Donagavkar, City President Sheikh Yusuf, former MLA Namdevrao Pawar, and Pradesh Seva Dal President Vilas Autade.
Chandrapur MP Pratibha Dhanorkar led a chakka jam protest in Warora, focusing on the demands of farmers and the general populace. Farmers convened for the demonstration on the Nagpur-Chandrapur highway.
Among their demands were a special assistance package for soybean farmers in Chandrapur district, Rs 1 lakh per hectare for cotton farmers, and Rs 2.5 lakh per hectare for soybean farmers.
Chandrapur City (District) Congress Committee President Ritesh Tiwari, along with numerous Congress leaders, workers, farmers, and community members, participated in significant numbers.
Additionally, protests occurred at district and taluka levels in Akola, Amravati, Buldhana, Nagpur Rural, Jalna, Latur, Wardha, Ratnagiri, and various other regions of the state. Demonstrators voiced their opposition to the farmer-unfriendly BJP MahaYuti government and submitted memorandums to the authorities, as stated in the release.