Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis during an inspection of areas affected by drought in Dharashiv district on Sept 23
Pune: The state govt on Tuesday, while responding to complaints about the slow pace of panchnamas in drought-hit regions, said nearly 44% of the process was now complete and that a target had been set for Oct 12 for full completion. Bharne said: “There are 19 tehsils that are under review, where ground-truthing is underway. Collectors of the districts have been told to submit their reports at the earliest so that necessary action can be taken.”
A full report would then be sent to the Centre for drought-relief assistance, officials said. But some farmer activists, and opposition members, have said the process has been slow. State agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne on Tuesday said it’s being carried out on “war footing”.
The Centre requires the state to complete the panchnama process of the affected farms, to apply for relief under the NDRF .
It will review the situation till Oct 11 before finalising its ground report.
CM Devendra Fadnavis said: “A committee set up by the Centre on Maharashtra ’s drought will visit the state in the next few days. We have already written to the Centre for drought relief. At present, our focus is to fulfil the required mandate.”
The ongoing drought was discussed in a cabinet meeting on Tuesday where emphasis was laid on timely completion of the panchnama process.