Maharashtra State Government, in an attempt to assist cotton growers in Nagpur, has approved a sum of Rs500 crores. An official release further stated that the Government also planned to provide Rs1500 per hectare for maximum of two hectares per farmer. The scheme promises that cotton growers would procure a minimum of Rs500 and maximum of Rs3,000.
Nine districts in the state requiring Government aid have been disbursed with a total of Rs8 crore for 54,000 hectare of cotton area. Six of the most adversely affected districts include Yavatmal, Amravati, Akola, Washim, Buldhana and Wardha. Besides, cotton farmers in the Vidarbha region have also suffered from low returns.
Officials in State Cotton Growers Cooperative Marketing Federation have stated that farmers in dire need of urgent assistance will be assured a timely dispersal of financial aid.
Though these measures were long overdue, persistent criticisms finally forced the Government to aggressively try and control the increasing number of farmer suicides in the state.
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