After an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) toured the drought-hit areas of Vidarbha and Marathwada regions, the BJP-led Maharashtra Government on Wednesday announced that it would submit a revised memorandum identifying 5,700 more affected villages in the two regions and seeking more assistance to remedy the scarcity situation there.
The 5,700 newly identified villages are in addition to the 19,000 drought-affected villages listed in the original memorandum submitted to Centre by the Maharashtra Government early this month, seeking an assistance of `3,925 crore.
Informed official sources said that in its revised memorandum, the State Government would seek an assistance amounting to over `5,000 crore. The `5,000 crore-plus financial assistance sought by the Maharashtra Government is in addition to a `7,000 crore relief package for the drought-affected areas of Marthwada and Vidarbha regions announced by the Devendra Fadnavis dispensation on December 11.
After a two-day tour of the drought-affected areas of the State, the IMCT team-headed by Additional Secretary, Government of India, Pravesh Sharma, on Wednesday held a meeting with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis at Vidhan Bhavan in Nagpur where the Winter Session of the State legislature is currently on.
Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, Fadnavis said that the Central team had noted that a majority of the villages in the State were reeling under the drought and that the current situation in the affected areas was more severe than the drought that prevailed in the State during 2012.
Of the total 39,034 villages in the State, the State Government had earlier identified 19,000-odd villages as the ones affected by drought and it would now be identifying 5,700 additional villages in its revised memorandum to be sent to the Centre soon.