Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], September 30 : Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Vithoba Bharne on Tuesday decided to donate his one-month salary to the Chief Minister's (CM) Relief Fund to assist those affected by floods in Marathwada and other regions in the state.
Bharne also informed that officials working in the Maharashtra agriculture department will donate a day's salary to the CM's relief fund. He added that the Mahayuti government will soon announce compensation to those who have suffered losses due to heavy downpour and subsequent flooding.
"We will compensate those who have suffered losses as soon as possible. The Chief Minister and both Deputy Chief Ministers of the state will soon decide on debt relief. Today we discussed in the cabinet as well regarding the farmer issues," the Maharashtra Agriculture Minister said.
Bharne, a leader in the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), stated that 33 districts have been affected by flooding amid heavy rains, including Nanded, Ahilyanagar, Beed, Solapur, Jalna, Yavatmal, Dharashiv, and Nashik. He said that the government were ascertaining the damage to land and crops.
"33 districts have been affected by it to a large extent. My farmer brothers have suffered significant losses in Nanded, Ahilyanagar, Beed, Solapur, Jalna, Yavatmal, Dharashiv, and Nashik. The districts have suffered a lot. Crops have been severely damaged. The water has entered the houses to a large extent. Our motor transformers have all been damaged. Our revenue officers, agriculture department officers, and village development officers are conducting a panchnama," the minister said.
"The government is making efforts to see how the farmers can stand again. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, DCM Eknath Shinde, Ajit Pawar, and all the people are making efforts to help my farmers as much as possible," he added.
Bharne stated that essential food commodities, including pulses and wheat, were being distributed as relief material to flood victims.
"Information has been given at the collector level, daal and wheat are being distributed to everyone, without waiting for the central government, the state government has started helping, help will be received from the centre soon, and more farmers will be helped beyond the limit," the minister said.
"All the officers were informed that in the coming 10 days, attention is being paid to how the Panchnama will be completed and how the farmers will be helped after it is completed," he added.
This comes after Deputy CM Eknath Shinde on Tuesday assured help to farmers who have been affected due to flooding in the Marathwada and other regions of the state, owing to heavy rainfall.
Shinde stated that the Mahayuti government has begun providing financial assistance of Rs 10,000 in cash, along with rice and wheat, to those in need of essential items in the flood-affected regions.
Reiterating the state government's stance to support farmers in times of crisis, he informed that nearly 60 lakh hectares of land have been affected by crop damage.
"Many areas have been flooded in Maharashtra, and this is a major problem for the farmers. The rains are unprecedented. At this time, the government stands with the farmers as it has done before. The cabinet discussed the issue. Given the crisis, the government will continue to help farmers. There has been crop damage to nearly 60 lakh hectares of land. In the next 2-3 days, we will have the full data of damaged crops and these things," Shinde, who is also the Shiv Sena chief, said while addressing a press conference here.
"In the cabinet meeting, we also discussed that we will help farmers without paying heed to terms and conditions. It is the responsibility of the government to help farmers in such a crisis. In the coming days, we (I, Maharashtra CM and Deputy CM Ajit Dada) will sit together and take a decision for farmers (to recover damages)," he added.
The Deputy CM further discussed the loss of human lives and damage to crops, land, and houses, some of which are still underwater due to floods and heavy rains.