Maharashtra Cabinet Approves Free Seeds and New Dapchari Agri-Market
On Tuesday, the Maharashtra State Cabinet approved a series of major farmer-centric initiatives, including the establishment of an international-standard agricultural market at Dapchari in Palghar district. The decisions, announced by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule following a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, aim to provide financial relief, improve infrastructure tracking, and boost agricultural infrastructure across the state.
A key measure approved by the Cabinet is the provision of free seeds to cultivators who are forced to undertake re-sowing. This policy applies to farmers whose soybean, cotton, or other crops fail to germinate due to spurious or fake seeds, or are damaged by natural calamities. The District Planning and Development Council (DPDC) will fund the free seeds to ensure that affected farmers do not have to bear the financial burden of purchasing seeds for a second sowing.
In addition to seed distribution, the state government will launch a dedicated digital dashboard to monitor and accelerate the development of farm access roads. The platform will be used to survey, number, and open farm roads across Maharashtra. It is also designed to enable authorities to track and resolve complaints from farmers regarding road access more efficiently.
The Cabinet also greenlit the creation of an international-standard agricultural market in Dapchari, located in the Palghar district. This infrastructure project is intended to secure better access to global markets for Maharashtra's agricultural produce.
Furthermore, Revenue Minister Bawankule stated that the government has directed local authorities to review all pending forest rights claims. This initiative is aimed at expediting the distribution of land titles to eligible tribal beneficiaries.
The announcements were made during a media briefing at Mantralaya, where the minister outlined the government's focus on addressing agrarian challenges and improving rural connectivity.
