Fadnavis assures crop survey, waives Rs 48,000 crore farmer power bills
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday assured farmers that the state would conduct crop loss surveys after October 5 and provide financial assistance from its own funds while awaiting aid from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
Fadnavis was speaking to reporters after attending the flag-hoisting ceremony marking Marathwada Liberation Day. He said preparations for the crop loss surveys had already begun, even though the exercise could only be formally conducted after October 5 as per rules, and pledged that the government would stand firmly with farmers during the crisis.
The assurance follows Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule's statement on Monday that a drought-like situation had developed across 18 districts, affecting nearly half of Maharashtra's farmers. Fadnavis said Marathwada, which has faced long-standing development challenges, was now confronting a drought year, with Dharashiv district going without rain for 80 days and facing potential crop losses of up to 85 per cent, according to a government report.
Fadnavis also announced that pending farmer electricity bills worth Rs 48,000 crore would be waived, and said arrangements had been made to address possible fodder and water shortages.
On infrastructure, he said the government would acquire an additional 8,000 acres in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to expand industrial zones, with companies including JSW, Toyota and Ather set to help establish the city as India's largest EV manufacturing hub. He also announced plans for Maharashtra's largest elevated road in the city and cited progress on water projects, including a World Bank-approved flood mitigation scheme and a river-linking initiative to bring water from Konkan to the Godavari Valley.
