Mumbai/Pune, Oct 14 Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Wednesday that an initial relief of Rs 5,000 will be deposited directly into farmers’ bank accounts ahead of Diwali, a move that comes after over 85 per cent of talukas in Maharashtra were declared drought-hit.
The state government added 40 more talukas to the drought-hit list, taking the total number of affected sub-divisions in Maharashtra to 305 out of 358.
Speaking on the immediate financial relief, Fadnavis said that the decision to transfer Rs 5,000 to farmers was made to provide urgent support before the upcoming festival, as complete administrative evaluations and Central assessment procedures take time and cannot legally conclude before Diwali.
“Drought was initially declared in 265 talukas. After evaluating complaints, 40 additional talukas were added, bringing the total to 305 talukas. All 12 standard state drought relief concessions are now extended to these talukas,” Fadnavis told reporters here after the cabinet meeting.
The Chief Minister made it clear that the assistance needed from the Central government will certainly be provided when it arrives, and that the current Rs 5,000 serves as immediate relief and an advance on that assistance for farmers before Diwali.
Last month, the state government declared drought in 265 talukas following rainfall deficit and announced relief measures, including crop loan restructuring, land revenue concessions, and power bill subsidies.
The Chief Minister said a supplementary Government Resolution (GR) has been issued adding 40 more talukas to the drought-hit list.
Drought is always declared by November-end, and help is extended by December. However, looking at the gravity of the situation, the notification of drought was issued in October, he stated.
Fadnavis said this (Rs 5,000) is the biggest assistance provided so far, claiming that farmers used to receive the minimum assistance of Rs 1,000 or Rs 1,500.
Responding to Opposition criticism questioning how farmers could celebrate Diwali with Rs 5,000, Fadnavis said the government had expedited the drought relief process and extended the coverage from 265 to 305 talukas.
“Whenever drought occurs in Maharashtra, the government resolution (GR) announcing drought relief is generally issued in November, and assistance reaches farmers in December. This has been the practice over the past 30-35 years, including during the previous governments,” he said.
Fadnavis said the National Disaster Response Fund has prescribed rules and timelines for declaring drought, and the government had accelerated the process this year in view of the severity of the situation.
“We completed the entire process early and also informed the Centre about the severe drought situation. We issued the GR and initiated 12 measures to provide relief. Subsequently, we revised the decision and extended drought coverage from 265 to 305 talukas,” he told reporters in Pune.
Fadnavis said it was technically not possible to disburse the drought relief amount immediately.
“Therefore, we decided to provide an advance of Rs 5,000. This amount is important for ‘baliraja’ (farmers),” he added.
Targeting the Opposition, Fadnavis said some leaders who had built large business empires might not understand the significance of the amount for ordinary farmers.
“I am not claiming that we have provided a very large amount of assistance. However, this is certainly the biggest assistance provided so far,” he claimed.
An authenticated list of an additional 3.5 lakh farmers has been processed to receive scheduled debt relief payments in parallel, the Chief Minister said.
Outdated conditions from the 1992 resolution that restricted educational fee waivers for farmers’ children have been removed, making the fee exemption universal across affected areas, he pointed out.
Fadnavis said the District Central Co-operative (DCC) banks and credit societies have been issued strict warnings against coercive loan recoveries, harassment, or excessive pressure on farmers. Efforts are underway to do the same with private banks and financial institutions.
No coercive recovery or pressure is permitted for pending electricity bills, and agricultural pumps up to 7.5 horsepower (HP) receive free electricity under state policy.
He said groundwater levels in observation wells across Marathwada have fallen below 3 metres, which demands early deployment of water tankers in October-November. All deployed tankers will be strictly tracked via GPS.
Nearly 16,000 illegal water connections were disconnected to preserve drinking supplies, with a zero-tolerance policy for unauthorised water extraction, the Chief Minister informed.
Fodder reserves vary between 90 days and 7 months depending on the region. In areas where irrigation/dam water is available, farmers are urged to cultivate rabi jowar and fodder crops. The state government is committed to purchasing all harvested fodder at Minimum Support Price (MSP), he said.
The cabinet also passed a resolution congratulating Prime Minister Narendra Modi for completing 25 years as head of government, Fadnavis said.
Modi has been serving continuously as head of government – first as Chief Minister of Gujarat for three terms and subsequently as Prime Minister after winning three Lok Sabha elections – since October 7, 2001.
(PTI News)
