BJP govt has given Rs 50,000-cr aid to Maha farmers: Fadnavis

The BJP-led government in Maharashtra has given financial assistance of Rs 50,000 crore to farmers in the last four-and-a-half years, much more than the erstwhile Congress-NCP administration, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said Thursday.

Fadnavis said his government is working for the poor and common people and a slew of welfare schemes have been implemented for them in the state.

He said the BJP-led government is committed to farmer welfare and since taking charge in October 2014, it has provided Rs 50,000 crore in financial aid to cultivators.

More help will be made available to farmers, he said.

In comparison, the previous Congress-NCP government had given only Rs 20,000 crore-Rs 22,000 crore to farmers in 15 years of its rule, said Fadnavis.

He was speaking after the inauguration of construction work of an administrative building, a government guest house and other development works at Phulambri tehsil here in central Maharashtra.

Fadnavis said his government is known for taking "speedy" decisions and giving priority to providing facilities to the people in rural areas.

The CM said the government has made all arrangements to provide relief in drought-affected areas.

More funds have been sought from the Centre for drought relief, Fadnavis said.

He said two lakh farmers have been given electricity pumps in the Marathwada region and this has helped them a lot in irrigation.