Guardian Minister Indranil Naik inspects drought-hit crops in Tiroda and Gondia talukas

Gondia, 21st: In view of drought conditions in the district, Guardian Minister Indranil Naik visited farms today to see the condition of crops. He went to Panjara and Vihirgaon in Tiroda taluka, and then to farms in the Dongargaon area of Gondia taluka. He spoke to farmers to learn how the gap in rainfall has affected crop growth, how much water is available, how much damage there could be and what difficulties farmers are facing.

To understand the effect of the drought on kharif crops, the Guardian Minister went to the fields himself and saw the present condition of the crops. Detailed information was taken from the farmers concerned about the rain, the gap in rainfall, water available for irrigation and the likely effect on production.

Tiroda taluka was the first in the district to be declared under Trigger-1. Under Trigger-2, all the remaining talukas of Gondia district have been named. The drought situation in Tiroda taluka is more serious than in other talukas, so the visit was considered important.

At Panjara, Naik saw crops that had suffered damage in the field of farmer Baliram Chamat. He then looked at the condition of crops in the field of farmer Ashok Rahangdale at Vihirgaon. At Dongargaon in Gondia taluka, he saw spoilt crops in the field of farmer Ghanshyam Patle and assessed the effect of the lack of rain on farming.

Farmers put before the Guardian Minister the bad effect on crop growth, rising production costs, shortage of water for irrigation and the problems caused by poor weather. They also said that, with no reliable rain, production in the kharif season is likely to be affected.

Farmers in financial distress because of the drought expressed hope that they would get help from the government as compensation for losses. They demanded that crop losses be assessed objectively and that compensation and necessary financial assistance be given as per the rules. They also asked for effective measures to increase the availability of water for irrigation. The visit was considered important for understanding the real drought situation by learning the farmers' problems first-hand.

During the visit to Panjara and Vihirgaon in Tiroda taluka, MLA Vijay Rahangdale, Tahsildar Narayan Thakre, District Superintendent Agriculture Officer Nilesh Kanwade, Block Development Officer Sanghamitra Kolhe and Taluka Agriculture Officer Akash Gedam were present.

During the visit to the Dongargaon area of Gondia taluka, MLAs Vinod Agrawal and Vijay Rahangdale, Tahsildar Samsher Pathan, District Superintendent Agriculture Officer Nilesh Kanwade, Dongargaon sarpanch Komeshwari Tembhare and Taluka Agriculture Officer Neha Adhav were present.