Maharashtra drought: Centre forms team to assess damage in 265 talukas

The Centre has constituted a team to assess the situation in Maharashtra, where 265 of the 358 talukas have been declared drought-affected, state Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne said.

The team will visit drought-affected areas in coordination with the state government and assess the severity of the situation and make recommendations for relief and rehabilitation. It will submit its report to the Centre on the basis of its assessment, Bharne said in a release issued on Monday evening.

Nearly 80 per cent of the state is under the shadow of drought and crops have suffered extensive damage. The team's visit is expected to expedite the process of providing central assistance to drought-affected farmers, the statement said.

The move comes after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis submitted an interim report to the Centre seeking assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund.

Bharne said he had also raised the severity of the drought and the problems being faced by farmers with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan during a recent Rabi season review meeting in Delhi.

He requested that a central team be sent to Maharashtra at the earliest to assess the situation on the ground. Chouhan assured him that the Centre would provide necessary assistance to help farmers overcome the crisis, the release said.

The central team will be headed by Muktanand Agrawal, Joint Secretary in the Department of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare.

Representatives from 10 central government departments and agencies, including the finance and agriculture departments and NITI Aayog, will be part of the team, as per the release.

The team will assess the severity of the drought and make recommendations regarding assistance to affected farmers under the Centre's and state disaster response funds, immediate measures and rehabilitation, it said.Bharne said the state government would continue to pursue the matter with the Centre and make all efforts to help farmers overcome the crisis.

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, during which the latter assured the Centre's support in tackling the drought.

Shinde said Modi held an extensive discussion on the drought situation in Maharashtra and enquired about the status of water, fodder, and crop damage.

The Maharashtra government on September 26 declared drought in 265 of its 358 talukas, or 74 per cent of the state, amid rainfall deficit.