Relief before

Diwali festival

Mumbai, 26 Sept

(HS): Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced dry drought in 265

tehsils of Maharashtra. The villages in 75 per cent of the drought-hit regions

are expected to get relief immediately.

Long break in

rains severely affected 265 tehsils out of 358 tehsils in the state. As per the

Centre’s Parameters ‘Triger 1’ is being enforced. Almost half of the geographical

area of Maharashtra has been officially declared drought-affected. Fadnavis

after visiting some of the drought-affected regions made the announcement. He

called the drought in the state second worst after the 1972. The farmers are

not expected to get any harvest from their farmers.

He directed the

officials concerned to issue Government Resolutions (GR) related to the

drought. The GR will be issued on Saturday itself. The help to the farmers will

be extended without waiting for the Centre’s package. The financial help will

be transferred in the bank accounts of the drought-affected farmers before the

Diwali festival. The process will not be delayed for surveys and other

documentations, he added.

According the

Centre’s Parameters 265 tehsils fall under the ‘Rainfall Deficit’ and Dry Spell’

categories.. Most of them fall under Latur, Dharashi, Jalna and

Chhatrapatinagar in the Marathwada region, and almost all districts in the

Vidarbha region.

The relief

include financial help before Diwali festival, waiving land revenue and school fees

for the farmers’ wards, concession in power supply to irrigation pumps,

starting water supply through government tankers, fodder depots and micro-planning,

relief in recovery of crop loans.

The district

administration has been put on alert mode. A round-the-clock war rooms will be

operative in all the drought-affected districts.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Ajay Vasant Mardikar