Pune: Breakfast, a cup of tea and an honorarium of Rs. 100 were promised to beneficiary farmers by the central government in its advertisement for the farmer welfare scheme 'Mi Labharthi'. Despite the promises, Govind Jaid, a farmer from Maharashtra who was publicised as the face of the advertisement suffered huge financial loss following massive crop damage.
Govind Jaid found himself at the receiving end after his potato plantation was inundated by floodwaters. According to local farmers, the Satgaon Plateau has been experiencing heavy rains during the last two weeks. As a result, the harvested potatoes were submerged and subsequently rotted in water. "How to survive after this huge financial loss? What will we eat?" the farmer asked.
The entire country watched Govind promoting the scheme through an advertisement put out by the central government. In the advertisement, Govind Jaid was quoted acknowledging that he was a beneficiary of the welfare scheme. However, the real situation of his family and the condition of his farmland were never followed up by competent authorities.
"I was just offered some snacks and tea and later I was photographed. Finally, Rs. 100 was gifted to me," Govind recalled. At the moment, the farmer is hopeful that the government will step in and offer him compensation for the crop loss.
