Nagpur, Dec 11 (IANS) Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne on Thursday assured the Legislative Council that no eligible farmer in the state would be deprived of the benefits of the agricultural schemes implemented by the state government, underscoring the government’s sensitivity towards the farming community.

Minister Bharane was responding to a question raised by Member Ranjitsinh Mohite Patil regarding the pending funds and subsidies for various farmer schemes in the state.

Minister Bharane stated that the government has always stood firmly behind farmers during times of crisis and will continue to do so. He assured the House that the necessary funds for agricultural schemes will be made available by March.

He elaborated that the Agriculture Department verifies the documents and confirms the eligibility of applicants under various schemes before granting benefits as per the scheme criteria.

Minister Bharane announced the disbursement of significant funds for various schemes for the financial year 2025-2026.

Under the Centrally sponsored sub Mission on agricultural mechanisation, Rs 82.67 have been disbursed, Rs 200 crore under state sponsored agricultural mechanisation, Rs 251.41 crore under Prime Minister’s National Agricultural Development scheme, Rs 100 crore under Mukhyamantri Shashwat Krishi Sinchan Yojana, Rs 62.70 crore under Bhausaheb Fundkar Fruit Orchard Planting scheme, Rs 31.97 crore under Mukhyamantri Krishi & Anna Prakriya Yojana and Rs 68.33 crore under integrated horticulture development scheme.

The minister said that a supplementary demand of Rs 127.71 crore has been sought for the Bhausaheb Fundkar Fruit Orchard Planting Scheme during the Winter Session.

Additionally, a proposal for the second instalment of funds under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme has been submitted to the Central Government.

For Krishi Samruddhi Yojana, an approval has been granted for an allocation of Rs 5,000 crore annually for the next five years, starting from 2025-2026, totalling Rs 25,000 crore under the ‘Krishi Samruddhi Yojana’.

Minister of State for Agriculture Ashish Jaiswal stated that the process of uploading farmer applications for agricultural scheme benefits is currently underway. He assured that as the applications are uploaded, they will be approved in phases, ensuring no eligible farmer is left out.

Meanwhile, Minister Dattatray Bharane said that an appropriate action will be taken against those found guilty of financial and other irregularities at the Vasantrao Naik Marathwada Krishi Vidyapeeth (VNMKV), Parbhani.

He was responding to a question raised by Member Vikram Kale regarding the University spending development funds without proper approval.

Minister Bharane informed the House that the University was required to obtain approval from the Executive Council and the Maharashtra State Council of Agricultural Education and Research for the quality of infrastructure development works.

However, since these approvals were not secured, a five-member inquiry committee was constituted under the chairmanship of the Director General of the Maharashtra Council of Agricultural Education and Research (MCAER), Pune, to investigate the financial and other irregularities at VNMKV, Parbhani.

He confirmed that the committee’s report has been received by the government and has subsequently been submitted to the Governor.

–IANS

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