Fadnavis said the untimely showers affected crops like mango, wheat and 'harbhara' (Bengal gram)
Devendra Fadnavis. File Pic
Recent unseasonal rains damaged standing crops on 13,729 hectares in 8 districts of Maharashtra and orders have been issued to provide immediate relief, Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis told the state assembly on Wednesday.
ADVERTISEMENT
He said the untimely showers affected crops like mango, wheat and 'harbhara' (Bengal gram).
Orders to release immediate relief and financial assistance have been issued, said Fadnavis.
Maximum damage has been reported from Palghar, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Jalgaon, Nandurbar, Dhule, Buldhana and Washim districts in Maharashtra, he said.
A decision on immediate relief was taken on Tuesday night based on preliminary information and the exact extent of damage is being ascertained, he said.
On Tuesday, Chief Minister Eknath Shinde's office said that he had spoken with the chief secretary and a few district collectors about the damage to crops. He had also instructed revenue officials to conduct the damage assessment survey of the affected areas, his office had said.
On Wednesday, Leader of Opposition Ajit Pawar raised the issue and demanded that the government spell out how it plans to mitigate the hardships of farmers who lost their standing crops due to unseasonal rains, thunderstorms, hailstorms and lightning.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) legislator Chhagan Bhujbal said when the state celebrated Holi with colours on Tuesday, it was a black day for farmers.
Congress' Nana Patole demanded that the Lower House sets aside the business of the day to discuss the measures needed to provide relief to farmers.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever