Opposition Leaders Protest In Vidhan Bhavan Premises Against Maharashtra Government On Farmers' Issues

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India]: Opposition leaders in Maharashtra staged a protest on the steps of Vidhan Bhavan against the government over issues concerning farmers and said the growers were not getting proper value for their produce.

They also raised slogans against the state government. The opposition members were holding cotton and carrot in their hands to highlight the issues faced by farmers.

The opposition leaders alleged that in the budget presented by the government on Tuesday, no steps had been taken for the welfare of farmers. They demanded a proper price for cotton.

Uddhav Thackeray faction leader and spokesperson Anand Dubey said on Tuesday that the budget presented by Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar "is not for common people".

In his speech, Ajit Pawar announced that the state government would provide a grant amounting to Rs 78,000 to households under the central government's rooftop solar scheme.

"For the Centre's Suryagraha scheme, a grant of up to Rs 78,000 per household will be given for rooftop solar panels. Also, farmers will be provided with solar pumps at concessional rates to promote green and alternate energy sources."

Referring to the Jal Jeevan Mission, Ajit Pawar said that Maharashtra intends to give tap water to nearly 1.47 crore households of which over 1.22 crore connections have been given already. "The remaining 24 lakh will also be done soon," he said.

A five-day budget session of the Maharashtra assembly began on Monday.