CM should now give Rs 25k per hectare to farmers: Fadnavis

Leader of the Opposition in Maharashtra Assembly Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday said Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray should now fulfil his own earlier demand of Rs 25,000 per hectare to farmers for crop damages.

Fadnavis said this in the Assembly while congratulating senior Congress leader Nana Patole on being elected Speaker of the Lower House of the state Legislature.

"Uddhav Thackeray, as leader of his party (Shiv Sena), while touring the state (last month, when he was not the chief minister) demanded Rs 25,000 per hectare for farmers as assistance. I think he should ensure now that farmers get the assistance," Fadnavis said.

Sena president Thackeray was on Thursday sworn in as chief minister, after his party came together with the NCP and Congress to form government in the state.

The three parties forged an alliance after the Sena fell out with pre-poll ally BJP over sharing the chief ministerial post.

Last month, when a bitter tussle between the Sena and BJP over government formation was on, Thackeray toured some areas where farmers suffered crop damages due to unseasonal post-monsoon rains this year.

He had dubbed the Rs 10,000 crore package announced by the then Fadnavis-led state government as inadequate and demanded that the affected farmers be given Rs 25,000 per hectare as compensation.