New Delhi : Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) MP Sunil Tatkare on Thursday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and discussed the drought situation in Maharashtra, seeking necessary assistance from the Centre for drought-affected areas of the state.
In a post on X, Tatkare said, “Met the Honourable Prime Minister of the country, Shri Narendra Modi ji, in New Delhi. Considering the severity of the drought situation in Maharashtra, a request was made for necessary assistance from the central government to the drought-affected areas of the state.”
On Wednesday, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced that the state had declared a drought in 305 talukas, up from the earlier 265, and decided to provide a Rs 5,000 Diwali bonus to farmers, with the amount to be credited to their bank accounts before the festival.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, Fadnavis said the government had decided to extend assistance to farmers facing crop losses and financial distress due to the drought and had expedited the process compared to previous years.
“Earlier, drought was declared in 265 talukas. Today, we have declared a drought in a total of 305 talukas. We have checked old records; normally help is given in December. But this time we have declared drought in advance,” he said.
“This Diwali is going to be difficult for farmers. It will be difficult for them to manage during Diwali. Considering this situation, we have discussed and decided to provide assistance to farmers in the coming days. We have decided to give Rs 5,000 to farmers as a Diwali bonus. This amount should reach the farmers' accounts before Diwali. The loan waiver amount is also being credited to their accounts,” the Chief Minister added.
The government aims to provide financial relief to farmers affected by drought and crop losses before the festival, enabling them to meet their festive needs, Fadnavis said. The state had earlier declared 265 of its 358 talukas across 32 districts as drought-affected.