The BJP Government on Thursday sought a financial assistance of `4,000 crore from the Centre to provide relief to the drought-hit farmers in the State, even as the Opposition Shiv Sena met Maharashtra Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao and sought his intervention in mitigating the drought situation in the State.
After deliberating at length on the severe drought situation prevailing in Marathwada and Vidarbha regions, the State Cabinet decided to seek a `4,000-crore relief package from the Centre.
Talking to mediapersons after the meeting, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said that the State Government would submit a 30-page memorandum to the Union Government in the next couple of days, dwelling upon the gravity of the drought and works for which it needed financial assistance from the Centre.
After reviewing the drought situation in Marathwada region, Fadnavis said at Aurangabad in the evening, “The drought situation is severe in Marathwada and Vidarbha. As many as 19,000 villages are affected”.
At Thursday’s Cabinet meeting, the State Government decided among other things to extend a financial assistance of `4,500 per hectare of affected agriculture land to farmers. “We have pegged the affected area at 34,10,336 hectares. We will extend assistance amounting to a total of `330 crore to the farmers. We will give an assistance of `8,000 per hectare to small land holders. This would involve a total sum of `362.29 crore,” he said.
The State Government would also be extending relief to farmers owning dry lands to the tune of `708 crore, fruit growers to the tune of `199 crore, he said.
Meanwhile, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who had undertaken a two-day tour of Marathwada with senior leaders and party MlAs, met the Governor and sought his intervention in extending relief to the drought-affected farmers in the State.