Rs 48,000 cr given to farmers in 4 years: Fadnavis
Rs 48,000 crore were deposited in farmers' bank accounts directly over the last four years, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said on Friday. Around Rs 21,000 crore were distributed to farmers under the loan waiver scheme, while another 27,000 crore were given under various direct benefit transfer schemes, he said while speaking at the inauguration of Agro Vision Exhibition in Nagpur.
The chief minister further talked about the government's flagship Jalyukta Shivar water conservation scheme and said, "Maharashtra witnessed 124 percent rain fall in 2013-14 and the agricultural production was 137 lakh metric tons that year.”
"Last year Maharashtra witnessed only 84 per cent rainfall, 40 per cent less, but the agricultural production was 180 metric tons...This happened due to creation of decentralised water structures which enabled water supply in villages," he added.
"The Gosikhurd irrigation project could irrigate only 8,000 hectares of land in 2014, and last year 50,000 hectares land was irrigated by the same project. We are pursuing pipe irrigation now," the chief minister said.
The irrigation potential is increasing in the state, Fadnavis said.
