Stories
Maharashtra Promises Financial Aid for Drought-Hit Farmers Before Diwali
- •The Maharashtra government assured financial assistance to drought-affected farmers before Diwali, with 45 per cent of crop loss assessments already completed.
- •A strict ban has been imposed on using potable or treated drinking water for construction activities, allowing only treated sewage water instead.
- •Banks and private financiers face strict action if they harass drought-hit farmers for loan repayments or repeatedly demand documents.
- •The government plans to establish fodder depots through gram panchayats and develop grasslands to tackle fodder shortages.
- •Central teams are expected to visit drought-affected districts including Beed, Yavatmal, and Solapur starting October 10 or 12.
Key Questions Answered
The Maharashtra government will provide financial assistance to drought-affected farmers before Diwali. Additionally, relief measures include crop loan restructuring, land revenue concessions, power bill subsidies, and a ban on using potable or treated drinking water for construction activities.
Nationalized and private banks, as well as private financiers, face strict action if they contact farmers for loan repayment during the drought. Banks have been specifically directed not to repeatedly demand documents from farmers who have already taken crop loans, and district-level meetings will resolve these issues.
The government plans to establish fodder depots through gram panchayats instead of relying entirely on fodder camps. It has also decided to develop grasslands on forest, fallow, and government land near water resources, and to store paddy straw from the Vidarbha and Konkan regions to produce cattle feed.
