Congress urges CM Fadnavis to declare'wet drought' in state, seeks Rs 50,000 aid per hectare for farmers

Extreme spells of rain forced people to leave their home in Maharashtra. Pic/PTI

With heavy rains lashing parts of Maharashtra in the last few weeks, Congress leaders urged the government to immediately declare a ‘wet drought' in the state. Congress legislature party leader Vijay Wadettiwar, on Wednesday, while speaking about the concerning situation in Maharashtra, urged the Maharashtra government to provide financial assistance of Rs 50,000 per hectare to the affected farmers.

As reported by news agency PTI, Vijay Wadettiwar, while writing to the Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said that heavy rains in August and September damaged crops across 30 districts, affecting nearly 17.85 lakh hectares of farmland.

Wadettiwar asserted, "Farmers have neither received loan waivers nor are their standing crops intact. They are in deep distress and require urgent relief," as cited by news agency PTI.

While addressing that the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions have been the worst hit, he said that soybean, maize and cotton crops have suffered major losses.

The Congress leader also claimed that the upcoming Rabi season is also under threat, and to ensure that farmers of the state do not face extreme inconvenience, aid should be provided.

Wadettiwar demanded that the state stop recovery of bank loans from farmers, direct insurance companies to expedite compensation and announce relief measures without delay. He further emphasised that the recent cabinet meeting failed to make a decision, leaving farmers disappointed.

"The government must complete crop loss assessments quickly, declare a wet drought and announce immediate assistance," the Congress leader added, as per PTI.

The Marathwada region, which usually sees insufficient rainfall, this year has surprisingly received 717.4 mm of rain, which is about 118 per cent more than the expected average rainfall of 607.6 mm between June and September 17, according to government data.

As per news agency PTI, amid the intense rainfall across the state, three people have died and more than 120 were evacuated from low-lying areas, the State Disaster Management Department said on Tuesday.

Moreover, heavy rains in Maharashtra pounded five of eight districts in Marathwada on Monday, with Beed receiving the highest 143.7 mm of rain, followed by Nanded with 131.6 mm and Jalna with 121.4 mm in 24 hours ending Tuesday morning, reported PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)