Revered actor Nana Patekar, known for raising the plight of Maharashtra's drought affected farmers, recently grilled, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis on the farmers controversy at the Lokmat Maharashtrian of the Year Awards 2022.
The Parinda actor put forward real facts before Shinde and Fadnavis stating 1092 suicides were reported in the past 9 months. Reacting on the same, Shinde said, Nana, we have made extensive plans after coming into power, so that farmers do not commit suicide. Schemes worth nearly ₹11,000 crore have been approved. Two lakh hectares of land will come under irrigation. We have undertaken a major project to divert water flowing towards the sea to drought-affected areas, so that farmers do not commit suicide. There has also been a discussion on how to give an additional business to agriculture. Our officers are working, trying to make a special action plan. Konkan, West Maharashtra and North Maharashtra have low suicide rates. Farmers in Marathwada and Vidarbha commit suicide. Reduction in this number is important for us as well. When Devendraji was the Chief Minister for the previous five years, he started the Jalyukta Shivar Yojana in a big way. Later it was closed for two and a half years. We have started it again. Bottomline, it is important to bring water to barren land.
Echoing similar sentiments Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis said, Fadnavis: Nana, there is just one addition to this. There is no suicide where there is proper irrigation. Where there is no irrigation, there are suicides. To eliminate the drought zone, the entire area should come under irrigation. Due to the irrigated land, 39 lakh hectares of land came under Rabi crop, facilitating farmers to grow two crops. Our resolution is that if the water flowing away is diverted into Godavari, if the water flowing away in Vidarbha can be brought up to Buldhana, then the entire drought prone belt can be irrigated. We provide power supply to farmers for half the time in the morning and half in the night. He has to work through the night facing snakes and scorpions in the farmland. Therefore, we are bringing 100 per cent agriculture feeder to solar energy. It will take two to three years until solar feeders of 4000 MW will be done. The farmer will get electricity for 12 hours every day. We have created a model for this. We don't get land to install solar projects. So a farmer who gives his land on rent basis will get monthly ₹60,000 to ₹75,000 as rent. It is planned in a way that he will get more produce than what is sown in his field. We will pay this rent for 30 years. By installing solar on that land, we will provide electricity for 12 hours a day, to as many farmers as they are on the entire feeder. On the other hand we have dug wells. However, due to lack of electricity, the crop is drying up. If electricity is available during the day, suicide rates will definitely decrease.