Maha govt crackdown on Konkan forest fires, Jalgaon's fake crop insurance fraudsters
Mumbai, June 25
Maharashtra Forest Minister, Ganesh Naik, on Thursday addressed the rising concern of forest fires in the Konkan region, attributing them largely to a lack of public awareness and deep-rooted misconceptions among local farmers.
He was responding to a question raised by MLA Prashant Thakur. Minister Naik pointed out that many farmers mistakenly believe burning dry leaves and biomass under a practice locally linked to preparing paddy fields makes the soil more fertile.
"In reality, burning the land damages soil texture and destroys the natural compost-like environment," Naik explained, emphasising that the forest department is launching a special campaign to dispel these myths.
To control forest fires, a joint comprehensive awareness drive will be rolled out involving the Forest Department, Agriculture Department, Gram Panchayats, Revenue Administration, and local public representatives, including Gram Sevaks, Sarpanchs, Panchayat Samiti, and Zilla Parishad members, as well as MPs and MLAs, he said.
The Minister shared alarming data regarding recent fire incidents comprising Thane forest circle where 1,659 hectares of land was destroyed across 1,009 incidents, Kolhapur region where 85 hectares were affected in 34 incidents, Mumbai West Wildlife Division where 145 hectares were affected in 95 incidents. A total of 1,226 forest-fire-related offences have been registered during this period, and investigations are underway.
According to the minster, the major causes of these fires include carelessly throwing burning bidi/cigarette stumps, intentional lighting of fires to clear paths for illegal poaching, burning forests to facilitate Mahua flower collection, or farm fires spiralling out of control. He said that apart from awareness drives, the government will provide specialised machinery like blowers to extinguish fires rapidly.
Minister Naik stated that the government is contemplating amendments to the relevant Forest Act of 1962 to deal strictly with miscreants. The state is exploring legal provisions to hold private landowners accountable if a fire breaks out within their private forest boundaries.
He informed the House that a special joint meeting comprising officials from both the Forest and Agriculture departments will be convened soon to formulate comprehensive mitigation strategies.
MLAs Nana Patole and Deepak Kesarkar raised sub-questions during the debate.
Meanwhile, Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane announced in the Legislative Assembly during Question Hour today that a thorough investigation is underway into the fraudulent claims in Jalgaon district where individuals attempted to secure crop insurance by showing fake banana cultivation.
Strict action will be taken against anyone found guilty in accordance with the law. The issue was raised in the house by MLA Ajay Choudhari.
Responding to the query, Minister Bharane stated that the crop areas were inspected using remote sensing technology via the Maharashtra Remote Sensing Application Centre (MRSAC). The inspection revealed massive discrepancies. About 44,041.82 hectares of land were registered for crop insurance despite having no actual banana cultivation.
A subsequent technical verification conducted between November 1 and December 15, 2025, exposed 27,416 applicants who sought insurance for 28,475.01 hectares without growing any bananas. This timely verification successfully saved approximately Rs 164.58 crore in insurance premium payouts, said the minister.
Minister Bharane further informed the House that Taluka Agriculture Officers have already registered criminal cases against operators of 48 Common Service Centres (CSCs) who submitted a large number of these fraudulent crop insurance proposals. The case is currently being investigated by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW), and necessary legal action will be initiated against the perpetrators upon completion of the probe.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While I appreciate the crackdown on crop insurance fraud, I worry about small farmers who might get caught in this net. Many of them depend on these schemes. Also, for forest fires, just awareness drives won't work - rural areas need better firefighting infrastructure, not just blowers. What about fire lines and early warning systems?
The 1,226 forest fire offences and 1,659 hectares destroyed in just one circle is alarming. I live near Thane and we can smell smoke every summer. But why are we only hearing about this now? The forest act amendment should have been done years ago. Also, involving gram panchayats is good but they need training and resources, not just responsibility.
The Mahua flower collection point is a real issue - I've seen tribals accidentally starting fires while collecting these flowers. They need alternative livelihood options. And the banana crop fraud in Jalgaon shows how systemic our agri-insurance problems are. But 48 CSCs involved? That's a network! EOW should dig deeper into who's behind it. 🔍
Interesting how Maharashtra is using MRSAC remote sensing for crop verification - that's a modern solution to an age-old problem. The ₹164 crore saved is significant tax money rescued. But I'm curious: what about genuine farmers who lost legitimate claims due to verification delays? Need to hear both sides of the story.
As someone from a farming family in Vidarbha, I know how hard it is to get legitimate crop insurance claims processed. So to see fraudsters trying to exploit the system is frustrating. But I hope the EOW investigates thoroughly
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.