Nagpur: BJP MLC Dr. Parinay Fuke on Wednesday accused the Opposition of attempting to erase farmers’ names from land records, saying demands to blank out the 7/12 extract after the loan waiver announcement revealed the Opposition’s intent to strip farmers of documented land ownership. Fuke made the remarks during the budget debate in the Legislative Council.Fuke said the 7/12 extract carries the farmer’s name, family members’ names, and the area of land held. “The Opposition’s policy is that farmers should not have land in their names at all,” he said, adding that the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar loan waiver scheme, under which crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh will be waived, was the 4th historic loan waiver in Maharashtra. Farmers who repaid loans on time will receive an incentive subsidy of Rs 50,000, he said.Turning to Vidarbha, Fuke drew attention to the paddy procurement crisis gripping Bhandara, Gondia, Gadchiroli, Chandrapur, and Nagpur districts. He said last year’s procurement stood at 1.2 crore quintal, but this year the limit was fragmented into pieces of 10 lakh quintal each, leaving large volumes of paddy unsold in warehouses and farmers without payment. He demanded that the limit be raised to 20 lakh quintal and said the annual bonus for paddy farmers had not yet been announced. “Relief should be given before the session ends,” he said.Fuke also demanded Rs 100 crore for strengthening the Bhandara Agricultural Produce Market Committee, Rs 10 crore each for Tumsar-Mohadi and Lakhani market committees, funds for the Galmukta Dharana scheme in Bhandara, and a push to revive the stalled Lakhani water supply scheme.On budget numbers, Fuke cited total proposed expenditure of Rs 7,69,400 crore, projected revenue of Rs 6.16 lakh crore for 2026-27, and a DPC allocation of Rs 21,867 crore for district development.Fuke described the budget presented by CM Devendra Fadnavis as a vision document for Maharashtra until 2047, dedicated to the late Deputy CM Ajit Pawar. He said Pawar presented the state budget 11 times, and his grasp of financial planning was unmatched. The govt decided to construct a memorial in his honour and will launch the Ajit Pawar Gatiman Nagari Seva Award.
