Fadnavis visits farmer Rambhau Balpande's home in Narkhed's Lohari Savanga on Diwali

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis reached Lohari Savanga village in Narkhed tehsil of Nagpur district on Saturday. He visited the home of farmer Rambhau Balpande, as part of his initiative to celebrate Diwali with farmers struggling with the hardships of farming.

At the house, Fadnavis spoke openly with Balpande and his family members and spent some time with them. The agrarian crisis remains a major concern in several parts of the state, and the Chief Minister wants to connect directly with farm families to understand their situation. Rather than confine himself to government programmes, he chose to spend Diwali in a village home among farmers.

The visit comes at a time when reports of drought-like conditions and crop losses are coming in from many parts of Maharashtra. Rainfall has been low, there is a water shortage and uncertainty over yields persists. Weather linked to El Nino and below-normal rain have affected crops such as cotton, soybean and arhar. Farmers are also worried about irrigation facilities, crop insurance, water availability and the coming rabi and summer crops.

Fadnavis is expected to stay on in Lohari Savanga, talk to local farmers and hear their problems related to farming, irrigation and village infrastructure.

According to the schedule, the Chief Minister will spend the night at farmer Rambhau Balpande's home. A community prayer and an interaction with farmers are also planned.

On the morning of Sunday, November 8, Fadnavis will meet elected representatives of Narkhed tehsil and discuss development and farming issues in the area. He will perform the bhoomipujan of the Khari irrigation project and also inspect farm roads and fields. After the Lohari Savanga programme, he will go to Kohli village in Kalmeshwar tehsil, where he will survey the crops and review farming conditions. He will then return to Nagpur.

To give immediate help to families hit by drought-like conditions, the Chief Minister had announced financial assistance of Rs 5,000 to every eligible farmer before Diwali. As of November 7, Rs 152.63 crore has been deposited in 3,05,274 sanctioned farmer accounts in Nagpur district. Disbursement is still under way. More beneficiaries are expected to receive the money after verification and approval.

Earlier, Fadnavis had appealed to state ministers and elected representatives to spend at least one day with farmers in a village during Diwali. The thinking behind it was that farm families going through hard times should not miss out on the joy of the festival. He had also asked social organisations, volunteer groups and ordinary citizens to come forward to help farmers.

The Lohari Savanga visit is part of this initiative. It has taken the state leadership directly to a farmer's family and given an opportunity to talk to villagers. During the two-day tour, the emphasis will also be on understanding the challenges facing farmers in the area through discussions and inspection of fields alongside the festival.