Fadnavis asks ministers to give a Diwali day to drought-hit farmers in villages

Nagpur: Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has urged every minister in his government to set aside one day of Diwali this year and spend it in a village with farmers who are struggling with drought. He said he would do the same himself in a village in Nagpur district.

Mr Fadnavis made the appeal while chatting informally with journalists at Ramgiri, his official residence in the city. Minister of State for Finance and Planning Ashish Jaiswal, MLAs Sanjay Bhende, Parinay Fuke and Krishna Khopde, and city president Dayashankar Tiwari were present.

The Chief Minister said farmers across Maharashtra are living with drought-like conditions, and that standing firmly by them is a duty that falls on every section of society. Help, he said, must not come from the government alone. It must also flow from society. He added that the government is working to help farmers, and that many social organisations, groups and ordinary citizens have stepped forward on their own. The government wants to widen these efforts so that aid reaches as many farmers as possible, and it will encourage the organisations and individuals already engaged in relief work.

Describing Diwali as a festival of joy, enthusiasm and togetherness, Mr Fadnavis said the present hardship makes it a testing time for the state's farm families. He wants them to share in the festive spirit and to feel that they are not alone. For that reason he has asked ministers to go to villages, talk with farming families, learn how they are living and understand their problems. In his view, sharing in the joys and sorrows of farmers, offering them emotional support and treating their concerns with sensitivity can make the initiative meaningful and carry a strong social message.

The Chief Minister said he had held a discussion with all the state's ministers a day earlier. The meeting looked at the difficulties farmers face, the support they need and ways of delivering help more effectively.

Speaking of the cause of the crisis, Mr Fadnavis said the state is facing a severe drought because of El Nino. Rural areas are bearing the worst of it, he said, but he was confident that everyone together would get through this hardship too. He said arranging drinking water and fodder for cattle is the government's priority, and work is under way with that aim.

He called farmers a major pillar of the state's economy. Trouble in agriculture, he said, hurts not only the farmer's family but the whole village economy, so it is essential in a time of crisis to help farmers, stand by them and work together to put them back on their feet.

The Chief Minister said the reach of assistance can grow if the government, elected representatives, social organisations and citizens act in concert. It was in that spirit, he said, that he asked ministers to spend a day of Diwali with farmers. "I too will go to a village in Nagpur district for a day," Mr Fadnavis said. He appealed to everyone to join hands and defeat the drought.

During the interaction, officers and employees of the Nagpur office of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations handed the Chief Minister a cheque for drought relief. The sum had been collected from all the officers and staff of the office, and the cheque was presented through the department's director.