September rains hit harder; farmers to get aid before Diwali: Maharashtra Minister

Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne on Wednesday said the intense rainfall in September inflicted greater damage than previous downpours and assured that the affected farmers will get financial aid before DiwaliTalking to reporters here Bharne also said there was nothing wrong with the demand for declaring a wet drought but Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and his deputies will take a call on itRains have wreaked havoc over the last few days in the usually parched Marathwada region killing eight persons and damaging houses and cropsBharne said the damage due to rainfall was more in the regions Nanded districtThe rain in September has caused more losses than in the previous period The loss in Marathwada is more in Nanded But the crop loss survey is underway on a war footing with the help of the revenue and agriculture departments he saidNotably Maharashtra minister Gulabrao Patil on Tuesday said the state government should declare a wet drought in Jalgaon district and parts of Marathwada which were severely affected by heavy rains and floodingBharne said There is nothing wrong with the demand because farmers are in trouble today But the chief minister and both the deputy CMs will think about it considering the central governments criteria for it But now helping farmers as soon as possible is our priorityThe transfer of financial assistance to the accounts of farmers has started the minister saidFor areas where losses occurred before July and the loss surveys are completed the government has started giving aid to farmers directly into their bank accounts The state has started depositing aid out of the Rs 2215 crore as announced by the government he saidBut the damage due to the rains is more in the current month Around 30 lakh hectares of land have been affected due to rainfall this month The amount of aid for damages in September will be more than the previous losses Bharne saidThe crop loss surveys will be completed soon and the amount will be deposited into the farmers accounts before Diwali he addedBharne also said that banks will be given instructions to stop loan recovery in the areas affected by rainrelated damageThe loan recovery in the areas where losses occurred should stop for now The government will initiate steps and the necessary instructions will be given to the banks concerned he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever