Ahead of Maharashtra budget, Uddhav Thackeray demands complete farm loan waiver

Mumbai: After the drubbing in the Lok Sabha elections, the Eknath Shinde-led Maha Yuti (NDA) government is set to do a balancing act and table a populist budget on Friday even as the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi (I.N.D.I.A) demanded a complete loan waiver for farmers and its implantation ahead of the Vidhan Sabha polls, slated around October. 

Coinciding with the start of the monsoon session - the last sitting  for 14th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly - a flurry of political activities were witnessed on Thursday. 

Because of the agrarian distress compounded with the Maratha-vs-OBC reservation issue, the Eknath Shinde-Devendra Fadnavis-Ajit Pawar government has suffered a humiliation as the opposition grabbed 31 of the 48 Lok Sabha seats. 

“We will present an all-inclusive budget,” said Shinde, the Chief Minister, who was accompanied by his deputies.

Pawar, the Deputy Chief Minister, who holds the Finance portfolio, would table the State Budget 2024-25 on Friday. 

"There should be a complete waiver of farm loans immediately and this should be implemented before the state polls,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) head and former Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. 

His statement comes a day after the MVA opposition comprising Congress, Shiv Sena (UBT) and Sharad Pawar-led NCP (SP) and their allies lashed out at the Shinde-dispensation for the agrarian distress  and increasing suicides by farmers. 

According to the Economic Survey for 2023-24, tabled on Thursday, the agriculture and allied activities  sector is expected to grow by 1.9 per cent, industries  sector is expected to grow by 7.6 per cent and services  sector is expected to grow by 8.8 per cent.

The State received 86.4 per cent of the normal rainfall during monsoon 2023. In the State, 19 talukas received excess rainfall, 190 received normal rainfall and 146 received deficient rainfall.

During the kharif season of 2023-24, sowing was completed on 155.64 lakh ha area. The production of cereals, pulses, oilseeds and sugarcane is expected to decrease by 23 per cent, 10 per cent, two per cent and 17 per cent respectively while production of cotton is expected to increase by three per cent over the previous year.

During the rabi season of 2023-24, sowing was completed on 58.60 lakh ha. The production of cereals & pulses is expected to decrease by five per cent and four per cent respectively while production of oilseeds is expected to increase by 13 per cent over the previous year.

During 2022-23, area under horticulture crops is expected to be 22.40 lakh ha and production is expected to be 327.80 lakh MT.

The State ranks second in India in organic farm production (27 per cent share) after Madhya Pradesh.

Irrigation potential created upto June, 2022 by major, medium and minor irrigation (State sector) projects was 55.60 lakh ha. During 2022-23, actual irrigated area was 42.33 lakh ha (76.1 per cent).