A day after the BJP-led MahaYuti Government approved a relief package of `2,215 crore for the un-seasonal rain-hit farmers, Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, his two deputies Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar carried out an aerial survey of the flood-affected and assured farmers of all-possible assistance from their Government.
Heavy rains have claimed more than a dozen lives and left a trail of destruction in Marathwada, western Maharashtra and north Maharashtra, where large tracts of standing crops have been damaged. The worst-affected districts are Dharashiv (erstwhile Osmanabad), Latur and Beed in Marathwada, Solapur and Ahilyanagar (erstwhile Ahmednagar) in western Maharashtra.
Talking to media persons after conducting an aerial survey, Fadnavis said: “Our Government is firmly standing behind the farmers and people affected by the rains and floods, Relief would be extended to them from the State Government and the Centre”Fadnavis, accompanied by Shinde and Pawar, visited Ausa in Latur district and Madha in the neighbouring Solapur district and interacted with the local people.
Pawar — who had earlier visited the flood-affected areas of Solapur, inspected the damaged crops and interacted with farmers, wrote on “X”: "I began my inspection of the flood situation from Korti in Karmala taluka. The continuous heavy rains have caused major damage to crops. I personally visited the fields and spoke with the farmers to understand the extent of the loss.”
Pawar said that the dams in the Marathwada region were filled to the brim and water was being continuously discharged from them
The deputy Chief Minister said that he had given instructions to the administration to implement the necessary measures to ensure immediate assistance reaches farmers in the flood-affected areas.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been deployed in Beed, Dharashiv, and Solapur districts since Monday night to assist the officials engaged in the flood-relief operations.
After taking stock of the flood situation in Maharashtra, Fadnavis had said on Tuesday: “We have so far sectioned financial assistance worth `2,215 crore to 31.64 lakh farmers. Out of this, `1,829 crore has been distributed at the district level and will be deposited in bank accounts of the farmers in the next 8 to 10 days”.
The amount sanctioned is towards compensation for previous damages caused by heavy rains in earlier months. In July-August, heavy rainfall caused damage to crops on around 15.45 lakh hectare.“The total damage to the area under kharif in the last three months is approximately 43 lakh hectare, which is around 30 percent of the total kharif crop (excluding sugarcane) for 2025-26,” the Chief Minister said.Meanwhile, the Opposition hit out at the MahaYuti government for the “paltry” relief granted by it to the flood-affected farmers, “The state government has announced `2,215 crore in assistance to 31.64 lakh farmers affected by heavy rainfall. This amounts to `7,000 per farmer”.
“Considering the massive losses suffered by the farmers, this amount is extremely paltry. The Congress party has demanded `50,000 per hectare in assistance. Why does the government's hand, which is open for its business friends, falter when it comes to the public?,” State Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant wondered. The investment proposals are collectively worth `3,119.07 crore.
Together, these projects will generate over 7,000 jobs and add more than 2,800 new hospital beds in the state, according to the release.