Rs 116 crore released for farm pathway roads as drought-hit farmers await relief

El Nino disrupted the monsoon this year. There was good rain in the last week of June and through July, but El Nino's effect then deepened and the rain stopped. The rest of the monsoon was dry, and August, September and October saw no meaningful rainfall.

The kharif season was lost for want of rain. Not enough rain fell to sow rabi crops either, leaving farmers in deeper trouble. With farming yielding no produce this year, farmers are asking how they will get by. Alongside a shortage of grain, there is a severe shortage of fodder for livestock, leaving farmers helpless and despondent.

To give relief to the distressed farmers, the government announced a few days ago that it would provide Rs 5,000 as advance assistance. The amount has begun reaching the accounts of almost all farmers in the state, bringing them some relief. The state government has now made another major announcement.

A fund of Rs 116 crore has been released under the Matoshri Gramsamruddhi Shet Panand Rasta Yojana. The fund has been allocated under the Employment Guarantee Scheme. It will speed up stalled works on farm panand roads. The government has taken the initiative to provide all-weather roads to farms.

These works will give farmers and farm labourers employment during the drought. Because they will find work in their own areas, migration caused by the drought may also be curbed to some extent. Works that had stopped for want of skilled-labour grants will get momentum from this Rs 116 crore fund.

Minister Bharat Gogawale said the government's focus is on completing basic infrastructure works in rural areas on time. He said that in drought conditions these works will also help create local employment.