Fadnavis to spend Diwali night with drought-hit farmers in Narkhed village

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will mark Diwali this year with farmers in Nagpur district. He is due to leave the city this evening for Lohari Sawanga, a village in Narkhed taluka, and will spend the night there.

The village has been getting ready for the visit, and residents are in a cheerful mood. Farmers will be able to put their problems and their questions about local development directly to the head of the state. Villagers, farmers and young people are all discussing the visit, and many see it as a sign that their village has been given special importance. They also hope the meeting will produce concrete decisions for its development.

The visit comes at a difficult time. Diwali is being celebrated with enthusiasm across the country, but the state is in the grip of a severe drought and farmers are in distress. Reports say the trip was planned to assure them that the government stands beside them in a crisis, and to lift the spirits of families facing financial hardship.

Tonight the Chief Minister will sit with the village's farmers and listen to them. Farming difficulties, irrigation, crop insurance and other local matters are expected to come up. Narkhed is known for its oranges, and many families depend on the fruit for their living. Growers are likely to speak about crop loss, compensation, insurance, the rising price of farm inputs and the facilities needed for farm-related businesses. Higher production costs, unsteady market rates, the upkeep of orchards and natural calamities have all weighed on them, and water for irrigation and a shortage of farming facilities remain major worries.

Residents also want to raise basic amenities, including roads, water supply and irrigation arrangements. The initiative is meant to take the government to the village and let it hear farmers first-hand, instead of relying only on official reports. All eyes are now on how seriously the problems are heard and what decisions follow.

On Sunday morning, Mr Fadnavis will meet elected representatives of Narkhed taluka. On the return journey he will halt at a few villages to inspect fields and review water conservation works.

Mr Fadnavis has also asked every minister in his cabinet to spend at least one day in a village this Diwali and celebrate with farmers, saying the government has full sympathy for them in a year of severe drought.

Under the plan, Chandrashekhar Bawankule will be in Amravati, Pankaj Bhoyar in Wardha, Meghna Bordikar in Parbhani, Shivendrasinhraje Bhosale in Satara and Pankaja Munde in Jalna. Ashish Shelar will visit Raigad on November 10. Mr Fadnavis himself will be back in Nagpur tomorrow or the day after. Akash Fundkar is yet to confirm where he will go.

Jaykumar Gore will spend the 9th with sanitation workers in Pandharpur, the 10th with farmers in Man Khatav, and the 11th in a Solapur village. Mangal Prabhat Lodha will celebrate in the tribal hamlet in Aarey Colony.