Latest news with #AmbadasDanve
Hindustan Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
869 farmer suicides in Jan-April: Oppn leader
MUMBAI: Leader of the opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve on Wednesday said that from January to April 2025, 869 farmers had died by suicide across Maharashtra. He blamed the government's failure to ensure adequate prices, and crop losses due to natural calamities compounded by pending compensation as reasons for the farmers' distress. For decades, farmers in Maharashtra, particularly drought-prone Vidarbha, have been struggling with crop losses, mounting debt, lack of adequate minimum support prices, and the absence of accessible credit facilities. Every year, thousands of farmers choose death by suicide as the only way to end the vicious cycle of debt they are trapped in, and to free themselves from private money lenders. 'According to administrative reports prepared at the divisional level, from January to April 2025, a total of 869 farmers died by suicide across Maharashtra. For Marathwada, we have data only till March 2025, so after adding April's figures, the total will cross 869,' said Danve. He shared the following statistics. In Marathwada, 269 farmers died by suicide till March; in Amravati division (western Vidarbha), the number was 327 from January to April; in Nagpur division, 135 farmers took their lives during this period; in Nashik division, 106 farmers; and in Pune division, 32 farmers. Danve said these reports had been prepared by the relief and rehabilitation department, at the divisional level. Stating that it presented a 'shocking picture', he remarked, 'The main reason for the farmer suicides is the government's failure to ensure adequate prices for their crops. Prices are so low that farmers are unable to recover even production costs, leaving them trapped in a loan cycle. Besides, many farmers were not compensated on time for the losses they suffered due to natural disasters in the last two years.' According to government data, the number of farmer suicides in the first four months of 2025 is largely the same as it was last year. During the budget session earlier this year, while responding to a question in the legislative council, relief and rehabilitation minister Makrand Patil told the house that in 2024, a total of 2,706 farmers had died by suicide across Maharashtra. Of this, 1,267 farmers died by suicide from January to June 2024. Amaravati division topped the list, with 557 farmer suicides, followed by Marathwada with 430. Ashish Jaiswal, minister of state for agriculture, said the state government had initiated various measures, which would help reduce the toll. 'The Mahayuti government under chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has started taking various measures to give financial relief to farmers. To prevent them from being caught in the loan trap of private lenders, Fadnavis has ordered banks to provide agricultural loans to farmers without checking their CIBIL score – an indicator of the creditworthiness of farmers. This will provide institutional loans to farmers and they will be saved from private lenders.' Jaiswal added, 'Also, the government today (Thursday) announced a first-come, first-served basis to secure the benefits of all schemes relating to farmers. This will put an end to the waiting list. Alongside, the government is setting aside ₹5,000 crore per year, from this year, for capital investment in farms.' Meanwhile, at a meeting on preparations for the upcoming kharif season, Fadnavis said farmers must be offered bank loans, to save them from the clutches of private lenders. 'If we look at the data on farmer suicides, we can see that they are more in districts where private money lenders are more active. As farmers did not get bank loans in these areas, they did not have any choice but to go to private money lenders. 'To save them from a debt trap, we will have to ensure availability of crop loans from financial institutions like banks. This is our responsibility,' said Fadnavis. He instructed all district collectors to make sure that banks disburse loans to farmers according to their targets in their respective districts,' he added.
Hindustan Times
20-05-2025
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Simultaneous polls in phases, hints expert panel
MUMBAI: The expert panel on the proposed 'One Nation, One Election' legislation hinted that simultaneous elections, at the heart of the legislation, would be rolled out in phases, beginning with simultaneous Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Local body elections would be added at a later stage. This was indicated by PP Chaudhary, chairperson of the joint parliamentary committee (JPC) on One Nation, One Election, on Monday. According to a report submitted to the committee, which is on an all-states visit to seek opinions on the proposed legislation, simultaneous elections could save ₹7,500 crore to ₹12,000 crore spent by the Election Commission of India during each general election cycle. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde and other political leaders, such as leader of the opposition in the legislative council Ambadas Danve, met the 42-member JPC on Monday. The committee explored the constitutional, logistical and consequential challenges relating to the mechanism of conducting simultaneous elections. It engaged with representatives from various institutions, including the Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa, Bombay High Court Bar Association, MNLU Mumbai, NSE, BSE, MACCIA, and the Maharashtra Agro-Industries Development Corporation, to discuss the implications of the bill. The committee also met filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar, who shared his views on the challenges faced by the film industry due to frequent elections. According to a presentation by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Election Commission of India's expenditure for the 2019 Lok Sabha election was ₹15,000 crore. The cost of conducting assembly elections can range between ₹300 and ₹1,000 crore, depending on the size of the state. According to various estimates, simultaneous elections can reduce election expenditure by 25-40%, with potential savings of ₹7,500 to ₹12,000 crore, per general election cycle,' the presentation stated. It also underlined that, at the same time, the fiscal deficit for two years, pre- and post-simultaneous elections, may rise by 1.28% for the central government and 2.29% for the states compared to non-simultaneous elections. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Ambadas Danve warned that One Nation, One Election could create a monopoly of one party. 'During Lok Sabha elections, at some places, voting continued till 2 am due several problems. This underlines that we do not have accurate and adequate machinery to hold simultaneous elections effectively,' said Danve in a memorandum to the JPC.
Hans India
12-05-2025
- Business
- Hans India
Investigate potential breach of GST data and unauthorised selling: Maha LoP
Maharashtra Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Ambadas Danve, on Monday, appealed to the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to hold a probe into the possible breach of GST data confidentiality and unauthorised data sharing. In a letter, Danve urged the FM to initiate a high-level inquiry into the matter immediately, identify and take strict action against individuals or groups found guilty, strengthen internal controls to ensure data confidentiality and issue necessary advisories to safeguard taxpayers' information effectively. He hoped that prompt and strict action would be taken to maintain the integrity of the system and to protect the rights and privacy of honest taxpayers. 'Recently, after a client's GST registration was completed and the registration certificate was issued, there was an unexpected surge in unsolicited phone calls from various banks offering to open current accounts in the firm's name. This sudden outreach, immediately after the GST registration, raises a serious concern about the unauthorised access and misuse of sensitive taxpayers' information,' said Danve. He further stated that GST data is supposed to be strictly confidential under the provisions of the GST Act and related regulations. 'It is highly alarming to observe that such sensitive information appears to be reaching third-party entities without the consent of the taxpayer. This leads to the strong suspicion that certain officials within the GST Department might be unlawfully selling or leaking this data,' claimed Danve. 'Moreover, there is an apprehension that competition may also be gaining access to confidential customer details, thereby affecting fair business practices. This situation not only constitutes a severe breach of privacy but also undermines the trust placed by citizens in government institutions. Such violations must be taken extremely seriously,' he argued. He reiterated a thorough investigation into the possible breach of GST data confidentiality.
Hans India
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Hans India
Maha govt transfers funds of various departments for Ladki Bahin Scheme
Mumbai: Amid a financial crunch, the Maharashtra government is struggling to make an allocation of funds needed to provide a monthly aid of Rs 1,500 to the eligible women beneficiaries of the Ladki Bahin Yojana. The government has transferred Rs 410.30 crore from the Social Justice Department and Rs 335.70 crore from the Tribal Development Department to pay the monthly instalment to the eligible women beneficiaries. The government issued the notification on Friday. This move was strongly criticised by the Social Justice Minister and Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Shirsat, saying that if the Social Justice Department is not required, then better close it down. 'I have no idea or knowledge about the transfer of Rs 410.30 crore from the Social Justice Department for Ladki Bahin Yojana. I have come to know from the media. If there is no need for the Social Justice Department, it will be fine to close it down,' he said. He further added that the Finance Department is exercising its arbitrariness, adding that the legal funds approved for the Social Justice Department cannot be transferred or cut. 'You cannot transfer the funds from my department to other departments, this is not the rule. It is the law. It is wrong to take funds by circumventing the law. There are some people sitting in the Finance Department, and if they think they are smart, they should show me the rules whereby the funds can be transferred, then I will apologise. A beloved sister is always a beloved one,' he said. Terming he people sitting in the Finance Department as 'Shakuni' (cunning and manipulative villain), the minister said that this is the work (transfer of funds) they have done. Meanwhile, the Leader of Opposition in the state council and Shiv Sena UBT leader Ambadas Danve blamed the MahaYuti government for 'diverting' the funds for Ladki Bahin Yojana, breaching the stipulated norms. 'The government treasury is running dry! Out of the Rs 3,960 crore approved for the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department, Rs 410.30 crore has been taken out. While out of the Rs 3,420 crore grant-in-aid given to the Tribal Development Department, a whopping Rs 335.70 crore was withdrawn for the Ladki Bahin Yojana! In this way, the government siphoned off a total of Rs 746 crore from the share of Social Justice and Tribal Development Departments,' he said. He added that, as per the rules of the Planning Commission, the funds allocated to the two departments, Tribal Affairs and Social Justice, are determined in proportion to the population of that community. 'These funds are mandatory to be spent on that cadre only and cannot be diverted to other departments,' he said. The Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar also accused the MahaYuti government of 'diverting' the funds earmarked for the women from Scheduled Caste and Neo-Buddhist categories have been diverted for the Ladki Bahin Yojana. 'This means that other needy people in the state will be deprived of their benefits. After the funds were diverted, the Social Justice Minister is now expressing anger. Minister Shirsath does not even know what is going on in his department. Were the funds diverted without the consent of the minister concerned in the department? Does the anger of the Social Justice Minister after the funds were diverted make any sense? The governance of this government is questionable. It's all a sham, they would take a decision, others would criticise and mislead the public,' he commented. Meanwhile, the government has started depositing the financial aid of Rs 1,500 for the month April in the bank accounts of the Ladki Bahin Yojana beneficiaries. However, it has not yet hinted when the monthly aid for May will be provided.
Scroll.in
03-05-2025
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Maharashtra: Shinde Sena minister accuses Ajit Pawar-led department of ‘illegal' fund diversion
Sanjay Shirsat, the social justice minister in Maharashtra's Mahayuti government and leader of the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, on Saturday accused the Ajit Pawar-led finance department of 'illegally' diverting funds from his department without his knowledge, reported PTI. 'They had diverted Rs 7,000 crore from my department earlier [during Budget] by keeping me in the dark,' Shirsat was quoted as saying. 'If the government does not want the Social Justice Department to function or they do not want to spend money, then they should shut down this department.' Shirsat added that the diversion of funds was not legal and said he would raise the matter before Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. The social justice minister also accused the Finance Department of 'high-handedness'. 'Their action is wrong,' he said. 'I oppose it.' Earlier in the day, Leader of the Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Ambadas Danve, also claimed that Rs 414.30 crore out of the Rs 3,960 crore allocated to the Social Justice Department had been diverted by the state government. The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray faction) leader claimed that Rs 335.70 crore was diverted from the Tribal Development Department to cover monthly cash transfers under the Ladki Bahin women's welfare scheme. 'The government stole the tribals' share of the money to pay their beloved sister's monthly salary,' Danve alleged in a social media post. लाडक्या बहिणीचा हफ्ता भरायला सरकारने आदिवासींच्या वाट्याचे पैसे पळवले! सरकारी तिजोरी कोरडी होत चालली आहे! सामाजिक न्याय व विशेष सहाय्य विभागासाठी मंजूर 3,960 कोटींपैकी 410 कोटी 30 लाख रु. तसेच आदिवासी विकास खात्याला दिलेल्या 3,420 कोटींच्या सहाय्यक अनुदानातून तब्बल 335 कोटी 70… — Ambadas Danve (@iambadasdanve) May 3, 2025 Under the Ladki Bahin scheme, women between the ages of 21 to 65, whose annual family income is under Rs 2.5 lakh, receive Rs 1,500 per month in the form of direct bank transfers. The cash transfer scheme is said to have played a crucial role in the Mahayuti alliance – comprising the Bharatiya Janata Party, the Shinde Sena and the Nationalist Congress Party faction led by Ajit Pawar – winning 230 seats in the 288-member Maharashtra Assembly on November 20.
