BY A GT REPORTER
PANJIM: At their wits end due to the devastation caused to their crop on account of the unseasonal rains in the year 2008, the plight of farmers caused the opposition to turn their ire at the Agricultural Minister Vishwajeet Rane. The core issue involved the pathetic financial condition of 7580 affected farmers spread over 35 constituencies in the state, an amount of about Rs 9 crores to ameliorate their sufferings and the delay in sanctioning the same.
While a reluctant Chief Minister Digambar Kamat, after prodding from Speaker Pratap Singh Rane, agreed to examine the issue -- the opposition BJP benches, Priol MGP MLA Pandurang Dhavlikar and Quepem MLA Chandrakant Kavlekar -- wanted the ruling dispensation to assure the House of disbursal of the amount at the earliest -- preferably before Ganesh Chaturthi. The amount could be downsized in case of any logistical problems and subsequently disbursed to the affected farmers, averred Mandrem BJP MLA Laxmikant Parsekar.
The Agriculture Minister's argument lay centred on the absence of any mechanism or fund to handle such a contingency even as he felt that such cases have to be forwarded to the Revenue Department.
Compounding matters further for the farmers, Rane informed that the required amount was not available with either the Agriculture Department or the Revenue Department. However, he assured to take up this issue with the Chief Minister and agreed to downsizing the amount if necessary to enable its disbursal to the affected farmers.
In the course of the debate, the opposition put forth many suggestions. While downsizing of the amount was Parsekar's brainchild, opposition leader Manohar Parrikar felt the need for withdrawing money from the Consolidated Fund since proceeds from the Central Calamity Fund get automatically transferred to it if the same amount lies unused.
Speaking on behalf of farmers inhabiting the worst affected Quepem constituency, Kavlekar pegged the figure of such farmers in his constituency at 1181 and the related amount at Rs 2. 82 crore.
Dhavlikar also expressed his antipathy towards the non-disbursal of the due amount to farmers in his Priol constituency despite the fact that the Zonal Agricultural Officers (ZAOs) were prompt in visiting the affected fields and filing the relevant reports of destruction.
In conclusion, a livid Parsekar was on his feet as he wanted the assurance of disbursal of this amount and not examining the case any further as much time has elapsed over this matter. The Mandrem MLA appealed for Speaker's intervention on this issue. However, despite prodding from the Speaker, the Chief Minister stuck to his stand of examining the matter and was not categorical in assuring the House of disbursal of the amount.
