A central team will also accompany Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during his visit to assess crop losses
The state govt has already declared drought in 265 tehsils, and the process of conducting panchnamas on the affected farms has begun. Addressing criticism from opposition politicians regarding exclusion of certain tehsils from the drought-hit list, Bharne said, “We have declared drought in 265 tehsils, but that is not the final list. “Chouhan is aware that the situation is highly challenging for farmers in both Maharashtra and Karnataka, where crops have withered due to rainfall deficit. Therefore, I urged the minister to relax the satellite imagery criteria so all affected farmers can receive relief,” Bharne added.
During my meeting, I requested him to visit the state, and he has agreed to come to Maharashtra in the first week of Oct,” Bharne said following the meeting in Delhi. Bharne said, the chief minister and other cabinet ministers have already visited farms to interact with farmers. A central team will also accompany Chouhan during his visit to assess extensive crop losses. Following the conference, he met the Union agriculture minister to apprise him of the state’s severe drought situation and seek central assistance to provide immediate relief to distressed farmers. I requested the Union agriculture minister to conduct similar field visits to understand the enormity of the situation firsthand. Following ongoing crop inspections, more tehsils can be added. Our govt is committed to providing relief to every affected farmer. During his meeting with Chouhan, Bharne reiterated the state’s request for the Centre to relax the criteria for releasing crop insurance payouts based solely on satellite imagery. “In some cases, satellite images might show green cover, but in reality, crop growth has been severely stunted by insufficient rain, leading to poor yields.
Pune : State agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne on Tuesday announced that Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan will visit Maharashtra in the first week of Oct to review the drought situation. Bharne visited Delhi on Tuesday to participate in the national conference on agriculture for the rabi season.