Rs 30 crore to be spent on cloud seeding in state

Mumbai: The state Cabinet on Tuesday gave its nod to a proposal to carry out cloud seeding in drought-affected areas to induce rainfall and approved a sum of Rs 30 crore for this purpose.

According to state officials, due to inadequate rainfall, several parts of the state are reeling under acute water shortage. The state government is, therefore, cloud seeding is one of the solutions that it is resorting to. The exercise requires proper planning, taking into account the availability of clouds.

The Rs 30 crore will be spent on procuring aircraft and radar system for the cloud seeding programme, said a statement from the chief minister’s office (CMO).

The procedure, which uses an array of chemicals to aid precipitation in clouds, will be carried out during the monsoon season, in July-end or August, he said. The cloud seeding programme is likely to be undertaken in Vidarbha and Marathwada regions as the rainfall here is expected to be poor this year.

Maharashtra declared drought in over 28,000 villages. Recent statistics show that the state has only 14.9 per cent water stock in dams compared with 26.7 per cent in 2018. Marathwada has merely three per cent water stock left compared with last year’s 23.52 per cent.

The Devendra Fadnavis government had first carried out cloud seeding in 2015.

State govt to fund groups that set up fodder camps

In an unprecedented move, the Maharashtra government will fund organisations that set up fodder camps for goats and sheep in rural areas.

The state will provide a grant of Rs 25 per animal for such fodder camps. There are over 1,500 cattle fodder camps which provide shelter to over 10 lakh animals.

The state government has also taken a few other measures to provide relief to drought-hit areas.     

Along with setting up fodder camps for goats and sheep, the state government has decided to supply water to these camps through tankers.

The Maharashtra government is presently supplying water to 4,920 villages and 10,506 hamlets through 6,209 tankers.     

The state minister for relief and rehabilitation, Chandrakant Patil, has directed state officials not to delay the bill payments of these fodder camps. It has been decided to set up temporary washrooms for women and farmers' families at these fodder camps.

So far, the state government has released funds of Rs 111 crores and Rs 47 crores for fodder camps in Aurangabad and Nashik, respectively. A honey collection centre will be set up to boost honey production as a supplementary business for agriculture. The scheme will be implemented through the Khadi Gram Udyog Mandal.     

Similarly, the Cabinet has given its nod to extending the power tariff waiver in Vidarbha and Marathwada for another five years. The decision, which will cost the state exchequer Rs 600 crore, is expected to boost industrial investment in the two backward regions, said the state official.