The opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Monday demanded a discussion prior to Question Hour on the state government’s compensation to paddy cultivators as well as farmers whose cotton crop had been damaged by bollworms.
The demand was made by Leader of Opposition in the Upper House, Dhananjay Munde, who said that the issue was a serious one.
Legislative Council chairman Ramraje Nimbalkar, however, declined Munde’s demand who continued to insist on it.
“In the last winter session in Nagpur, the agriculture minister had announced Rs 34,700 per hectare as compensation for the loss caused to cotton crops by bollworms and Rs 14,000 per hectare for paddy growers,” NCP’s Munde said.
He pointed out that the government, however, had not given more than Rs 2,000 per hectare to the affected farmers.
“The government is lying and is not doing what it had committed to do,” Munde alleged.
He told the House that directives had been issued to restrict entry of persons without authorised passes in the premises and this included legislator’s personal secretaries (PA) in case they did not possess authorised ID proof.
The Legislative Council was adjourned for the day after the opposition continued to raise slogans demanding a discussion on farmers’ compensation.
