Mumbai, Sept. 10 -- Ahead of the zilla parishad elections across Maharashtra, the Mahayuti government on Tuesday approved grants worth over Rs.1,758 crore over two financial years for electricity tariff concessions in irrigation schemes to please farmers, who will be a major vote bank. The decision is expected to benefit over a million farmers in the state who receive water for their land from 1,789 irrigation schemes, officials said. The elections to 32 zilla parishads and 336 panchayat samitis in Maharashtra are expected to be held in the next three to four months. These polls would be crucial in deciding which party rules rural Maharashtra. With an eye on these polls, the state cabinet on Tuesday approved grants totalling Rs.1,758 crore over the current and next financial year for electricity tariff concessions in lift irrigation schemes. These grants will help provide electricity at a charge of Rs.1.16 per unit to high-tension irrigation schemes and Rs.1 per unit for low-tension schemes, officials said. The charge before the concession was around Rs.5.43 per unit. The concessional rates will continue till March 31, 2027. "This decision will benefit 15 lakh (1.5 million) acres of land under irrigation, which is dependent on 1,789 irrigation schemes, and will benefit over 10 lakh (1 million) farmers who receive water from these irrigation schemes," said a state government official. "For the current financial year of 2025-26, Rs. 886.15 crore was approved by the cabinet. For the 2026-27 financial year, Rs.872.23 crore was approved. This amount will be given to Mahavitaran, the state-owned electricity distribution company, as compensation for providing electricity to irrigation schemes at concessional rates," the official added. The concessions come at a time when farmers in Maharashtra are facing significant distress due to reasons such as drought, crop losses, and not getting a fair price for produce. The state government on Tuesday also released Rs.1,892 crore as the quarterly instalment for the Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi Yojana, under which farmers receive Rs.12,000 annually. The funds were credited to the bank accounts of 9.165 million farmers across the state....