Ajit Pawar reaches out to farmers on Anil Deshmukh’s home turf

Nagpur, Aug 31 (PTI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Saturday said a new factory will be set up at Katol in Nagpur district for orange growers and a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre will be given to dairy farmers.

Notably, Katol is the assembly constituency of NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA and former Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh.

Addressing a gathering of farmers as part of the NCP’s Jan Samman Yatra, Pawar said the state government would bring 2.5 crore women in the state under the ambit of the “Mukhyamantri Mazi Ladki Bahin Yojana” monthly cash transfer scheme.

“It is my duty as a brother and a minister to protect you as you have tied a Rakhi to me. The government has decided to empower 2.5 crore women in the state by putting Rs 1,500 in their accounts per month,” said Pawar, who heads the state finance ministry in the Mahayuti government.

In the next five years, Rs 1 lakh will be deposited in the bank accounts of women through Ladki Bahin Yojana, he added.

Reaching out to farmers, Pawar said their electricity bills have been waived.

“Agriculturists whose old bills are overdue are also being considered,” he said.

Additionally, Pawar announced a subsidy of Rs 5 per litre for dairy farmers and a new factory dedicated to orange farmers in Katol.

“I will give a factory to Katol for orange farmers,” he added.

He said the NCP, led by him, launched a dedicated helpline to assist women in completing documentation regarding the “Ladki Bahin” scheme.

“The state government will spend Rs 46,000 crore on the Ladki Bahin scheme which assures direct payment to women, eliminating middlemen,” Pawar added.

He said the Mahayuti (grand coalition) government will retain power in the upcoming state elections.

Katol is a stronghold of Anil Deshmukh, who sided with NCP founder Sharad Pawar when Ajit rebelled against his uncle and joined the Mahayuti government with a bulk of MLAs in July 2023.

The Election Commission subsequently allowed Ajit Pawar to use the party name and its election symbol.

Deshmukh has not yet announced whether he will contest the elections or not.