8 months ago
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Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis connected Thursday submitted a memorandum to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking important assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for farmers affected by dense rains successful the State. The two-page memorandum, signed by Mr. Fadnavis and his deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar, was submitted to Mr. Shah, who was connected a one-day sojourn to Mumbai.
It stated that the State authorities has approved ₹2,215 crore nether the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), but fears that the concern mightiness worsen with the upwind section forecasting terrible rainfall and funds disposable nether SDRF volition not beryllium sufficient. “Over 50 lakh hectares of cropland has been affected. We volition soon nonstop a elaborate connection to the Centre to question funds nether the NDRF,” it stated.
‘Relief being given’
Mr. Pawar said the State authorities has started disbursing urgent relief, with each flood-affected husbandman being fixed ₹5,000 and 35 kg of foodgrain connected an contiguous basis.
Meanwhile, the decease toll owed to dense rains implicit the past 4 months has risen to 86 successful the Marathwada region, with 15 radical losing their lives successful Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, 7 successful Jalna, six successful Parbhani, 11 successful Hingoli, 26 successful Nanded, 11 successful Beed, six successful Latur, and 4 successful Dharashiv. Thirteen radical suffered injuries, and the full fig of affected villages successful the 8 districts successful the portion stands astatine 1,745.
According to cumulative authorities information from June 1, the 8 districts of Marathwada person faced harvest losses connected 23 lakh hectares, with the authorities claiming that 75% of panchnamas (documentation of losses) are over.
‘Insufficient support’
Terming the State government’s alleviation efforts “insufficient”, Shiv Sena (UBT) president Uddhav Thackeray demanded implicit indebtedness waiver and ₹50,000 per hectare arsenic compensation for farmers.
During his circuit of flood-affected areas connected Thursday, Mr. Thackeray threatened to deed the streets if contiguous alleviation is not provided to farmers. He besides asked the State authorities to request funds from the Prime Minister nether the PM CARES Fund. He besides appealed to the PM to assistance the farmers successful the aforesaid mode arsenic helium announced ₹10,000 each for 75 lakh women nether the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Rozgar Yojana successful poll-bound Bihar.
“I person been touring respective flood-hit regions successful Marathwada since this morning. I don’t privation to marque this political, but if the authorities assistance is grossly insufficient, we can’t judge it. Such a catastrophe has been experienced aft decades. Crops, lives, livestock, and livelihoods are lost. The ungraded has been washed away,” helium said.
“What the authorities is offering arsenic alleviation astatine contiguous is simply a joke,” the Sena (UBT) main said, pointing retired that the AAP authorities successful Punjab had announced alleviation of ₹50,000 per hectare for its farmers affected by floods. “If Punjab tin springiness it, wherefore can’t Maharashtra?” helium added.
Mr. Thackeray besides appealed to the Prime Minister to sojourn Marathwada and denote Central assistance to the farmers. “During COVID-19, thousands of crores of rupees were collected successful the PM CARES Fund. Nobody knows what happened to those funds. The authorities should springiness assistance to the farmers from that fund,” helium said, adding that if the authorities fails to springiness implicit indebtedness waiver to farmers, his enactment volition deed the streets.
Mr. Thackeray besides criticised members of the ruling Mahayuti for claiming that the authorities was spending crores connected the Ladki Bahin Yojana. He asked if the monthly assistance of ₹1,500 nether the strategy was capable to instrumentality attraction of the devastated households.
His enactment besides alleged that the Mahayuti authorities lone made announcements astir relief, but did not disburse the funds. It claimed that from March 2023 to July 2024, the authorities had approved ₹13,819 crore for alleviation work, and ₹2,236 crore from July to September 2025. “But not much than 30% of the funds were really disbursed. The authorities needs to springiness an answer,” said Shiv Sena (UBT) person Ambadas Danve.
State Congress president Harshwardhan Sapkal besides visited the flood-affected areas and sought urgent monetary alleviation for farmers. He criticised the authorities for allegedly lacking funds for farmers portion spending connected different projects. “The authorities has funds to poach MLAs and physique the Shaktipeeth Expressway, but not for farmers,” Mr. Sapkal said, demanding a peculiar bundle from the Centre.
Mr. Sapkal besides criticised Ministers for their alleged remarks astir deficiency of funds and called them ‘insensitive’. “The Mahayuti authorities is arrogant and insensitive,” helium said.
