75% Maharashtra facing drought
Soybean crops are lost. The final assistance will be announced after the chief minister receives the assessment reports, he added.
What he saw, Bawankule said, exposed the severity of the crisis. Cotton plants may look green on the surface, but there are no flowers or bolls underneath,” he said in Hingoli. Bawankule said the nature and extent of losses varied sharply between crops. Govt will be told how much assistance is required for each crop,” he said.
“The situation in the fields is difficult. Cotton and other crops are also damaged. Soybean, cotton, tur, turmeric, oranges and other horticultural crops would require separate assessments. “We will try to give farmers whichever provides greater relief, crop insurance or assistance under NDRF norms.
Earlier, he inspected farms in Wardha and Yavatmal. Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who heads the cabinet subcommittee reviewing the drought, announced the move on Monday during a tour of Hingoli and Nanded .
Responding to NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar ’s letter to Fadnavis seeking relief, Bawankule said govt had received more than 2,000 letters from politicians and MLAs on the drought situation. Meanwhile, MSEDCL has been directed to provide farmers 12 hours of electricity to help them irrigate whatever crops can still be saved.
Any difficulties in implementing the order would be taken up by the cabinet subcommittee, Bawankule said.
Because someone has demanded it, “We cannot announce aid today merely.
Bawankule said panchnamas of crop losses would be completed across Maharashtra in the next few days. “Not a single eligible farmer should be left out of drought assistance,” he said. Bawankule said.
However, govt will wait for the assessment before deciding the quantum of aid. If we rush and farmers ultimately suffer losses, who will be responsible? Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has constituted the cabinet subcommittee to assess the situation across Maharashtra. Its members are visiting drought-hit areas before preparing a comprehensive report for the govt.