Sharad Pawar seeks full farm loan waiver during drought tour of Pune

• Pawar visited drought-affected areas in Pune district and demanded a complete waiver of agricultural and allied loans.

• His proposed relief package includes Rs 1 lakh per hectare for farmers and Rs 25,000 for landless agricultural labourers.

• He sought a three-day special legislature session and urged the government to deliver assistance before Dussehra and Diwali.

Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) president Sharad Pawar on Friday demanded a complete farm loan waiver and immediate assistance for drought-affected households as he toured parts of Pune district to assess crop losses and hear farmers’ concerns.

The visit focused on Baramati, Purandar and Daund talukas. Speaking to residents of Parinche village in Purandar, Pawar said inadequate rainfall had threatened standing crops and created difficulties in securing water and fodder for livestock.

He urged the Maharashtra government to include affected talukas left out of its drought declaration, specifically citing Purandar, and extend relief without delay.

Pawar said he had written to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on 27 September seeking recognition of these areas as drought-hit. He told villagers that he would meet the Chief Minister to present their concerns and press for prompt action.

According to Pawar, Fadnavis had agreed to consider feedback from the affected areas. The NCP(SP) leader said his village visits were intended to gather information directly from residents, with saving the remaining crops an immediate priority.

In his letter to Fadnavis, Pawar proposed a 17-point relief package following the state’s declaration of drought across 265 talukas.

He sought a complete waiver of agricultural and allied loans for affected farmers, alongside occupational credit extended to agricultural labourers, self-help groups and micro-enterprises. His demand covered loans from cooperative, nationalised and urban banks, as well as social welfare financial institutions.

Pawar also called for a statewide waiver of land revenue charges and immediate assistance of Rs 1 lakh per hectare for farmers and Rs 25,000 for landless agricultural labourers.

He urged the government to clear pending payments under existing schemes and place relief funds directly at the disposal of divisional commissioners and district collectors to accelerate disbursement.

Electricity, water and livelihood support

The proposed measures include writing off agricultural pump electricity bills and prohibiting power disconnections and load-shedding in designated drought-affected areas.

Pawar sought authority for tehsildars to approve drinking water tankers for residents and livestock, arguing for quicker decisions at the local level. He also demanded emergency financial assistance and tanker supplies to protect affected orchards and crops, including banana, sugarcane and paddy.

For agricultural households and farm labourers, he proposed 25 kg of free foodgrains per family and direct transfers to support livestock care.

He called for relaxation of rural employment scheme rules so that local works could begin promptly within three kilometres of where employment was sought.

Fee exemptions and special legislature session

Pawar urged the government to exempt affected school and college students from tuition, hostel and mess fees, extending the relief effort beyond cultivators to other members of rural families.

He also asked Fadnavis to convene a three-day special session of the Maharashtra legislature to examine the drought, decide on policy measures and arrange the necessary financial support.

With rural households facing crop losses and mounting expenses, Pawar said assistance should reach affected citizens before Dussehra and Diwali.

With IANS inputs