Maharashtra govt to disburse Rs 2900 crore for drought relief measures

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government has announced disbursement of Rs 2,900 crore for relief measures in the drought-affected areas of the state.

"The state government will release compensation to farmers which will be credited into their accounts in the coming days," Relief and Rehabilitation Minister of Maharashtra, Chandrakant Patil said on Thursday.

"151 Tahsil, 268 Mandals, 923 villages have been declared drought affected. All the schemes related to the light bill, fodder for cows and others are being looked upon," he added.

The minister said that the state government had already sent a proposal to the Centre, demanding Rs 7,900 crore for drought relief measures. However, considering the gravity of the situation, Maharashtra government will distribute Rs 2,900 crore from its own treasury for relief measures in the affected areas.

"The state government has directed the district collectors to start one or more fodder camps at ‘mandal’ levels," Patil said adding that each camp will house around 300-500 animals.

On the recent earthquake in Palgarh, the minister said: "The state government is well aware and alert and is training people of the villages to take necessary precautions. If needed, we will relocate them."

Patil said that the Maharashtra government will hold a Disaster Management Conference at the IIT-Bombay, in which 56 nations are expected to participate. He said the 4-day conference will start on January 29 and will deliberate on ‘Building the Future We Want: Bridging Gaps between promises and Action.’