Heated verbal exchanges at Yavatmal Zilla Parishad meeting

Yavatmal Zilla Parishad's special general meeting witnessed heated verbal exchanges about the performance of officers responsible for farmers' welfare schemes.
However, a unanimous resolution was adopted to request the Maharashtra state to take appropriate and prompt decision to waive off loan liabilities of farmers in the district.
The meeting has urged the Maharashtra state government to revise its loan restructuring plan, since the plan is only for fiscal year 2014-15.
The resolution said that it should also be enhanced to include previous fiscal years of 2012-13 and 2013-14 if the government really wanted to help farmers, besides resolving to ensure financial assistance for drip and sprinkler irrigation projects.

District Agriculture Superintending Officer Dattatraya Gaikwad informed that Rs 7 crore given to Bembla irrigation project department for drip irrigation has been recalled since it could not provide the facility within the stipulated time frame.
Gaikwad briefed the house on the sowing status and the area under re-sowing. He said that tehsils like Umarkhed, Mahagaon and Pusad received less rain this season.
The agriculture officers at the meeting failed to give satisfactory answers to queries raised by members which led to heated verbal exchanges.
It was also decided to form a co-ordination committee comprising agriculture department officers and members of the Zilla Parishad to monitor implementation of various government schemes to rehabilitate debt-ridden farmers.