Drought aid only after panchnamas and full report, says Revenue Minister Bawankule

With drought conditions in the state, farmers want immediate financial help. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule has now spelt out the government's position. He said a decision on aid would be taken only after the panchnamas of the crops and the full report were in hand.

According to Bawankule, if aid were announced today itself, some farmers could lose out. He said it was therefore necessary to review the situation fully and closely.

The cabinet sub-committee on drought is to meet on Tuesday, September 29. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule chairs the sub-committee. The meeting will review conditions in drought-affected areas, crop loss, drinking water, fodder for animals and the aid to be given to farmers. The state government has declared drought in 265 talukas, and the meeting that follows is being seen as important. The sub-committee's members include Girish Mahajan, Gulabrao Patil, Pankaja Munde, Dattatray Bharne, Jaykumar Gore, Sanjay Rathod and Pratap Sarnaik.

State Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne has reassured farmers. He said this was a calamity of nature, but farmers should not lose heart in this hour of trial, and the state government stood firmly with them. Bharne promised that farmers would be helped as soon as possible, without waiting for help from the Centre. In many districts of the state the rains have failed, standing crops have withered and farmers are distressed.

Meanwhile, the Congress has questioned the government's policy. The party said severe drought had been declared in 265 talukas and farmers were pleading for water. It asked the government what kind of development this was, when farmers were left with drought while data centres were getting ample water and electricity. The party said this in a post on its official social media account and questioned the government's development model. It said that in the drought there was too little water for farmers' fields, while water and power were being supplied in plenty to data centres.

Asked about the letter Sharad Pawar has written to the Chief Minister, Bawankule replied bluntly. He said that giving letters was the Opposition's job, but it was not the case that the government was helping because only Pawar had written. According to him, the government has received more than two thousand letters from leaders and MLAs of different parties. The Chief Minister is himself visiting farmers' fields to see the situation. Bawankule assured that talukas left out of the drought list would also be studied and given justice.