Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi flagging what he called a severe agrarian crisis in Maharashtra.
He highlighted high farmer suicide rates and demanded a legal guarantee on minimum support price (MSP) for all crops, among a series of policy interventions.
In the letter dated July 22, 2026, Pawar, a Rajya Sabha MP, said an average of one farmer dies by suicide every three hours in Maharashtra, with more than 2,700 farmer suicides recorded in the Vidarbha and Marathwada regions over the past year.
He said the Rs 1 lakh government compensation meant for affected families often remains pending for years due to complex eligibility conditions and administrative delays, and called for rapid digital verification with funds transferred directly to beneficiaries' bank accounts.
On irrigation, Pawar said thousands of crores of rupees sanctioned for irrigation and drinking water schemes, including the Jal Jeevan Mission, remain stalled due to poor planning, administrative corruption, political interference and contractor negligence, leaving several regions in water crisis despite adequate reserves.
He sought an immediate independent third-party audit of such projects, strict action against those responsible, and clear, time-bound administrative accountability.
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On MSP, Pawar noted that while the Centre announces support prices for 23 crops, most Maharashtra farmers do not benefit as procurement centres often do not open on time.
He said 80-85% of national government procurement is concentrated on wheat and paddy from two-three states, while only 5-12% of Maharashtra's soyabean, cotton, pulses and paddy output is purchased at government rates, forcing farmers to sell 15-25% below market price. He called for a legal guarantee of MSP for every farmer.
Pawar also flagged implementation gaps in the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, citing delayed surveyor inspections, poor use of satellite-based technology and inadequate local grievance redressal, and sought mandatory geo-tagging, penalties on defaulting insurers and time-bound direct compensation.
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He additionally raised concerns over artificial shortages and counterfeit seeds and fertilisers, seeking stricter action against violators and reduced GST rates on agricultural inputs, alongside revised National Disaster Response Fund norms accounting for climate-linked crop damage.
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