Maharashtra government would seek an assistance of Rs 2,000 crore from the Centre to provide succour to farmers affected by recent hailstorms. The State had earlier announced Rs 3,925-crore financial package for farmers affected by water scarcity and hailstorms which hit the State in late 2013 and early 2014.
Revenue Minister Eknath Khadse on Monday said that Rs 3,925 crore compensation package would prove to be insufficient and hence Central assistance is being sought so that all affected farmers are covered and their suffering is mitigated.
"We had initially said we will provide an aid of Rs 3,925 crore for farmers affected by drought and hailstorms. Post-our announcement, another round of hailstorms destroyed a lot of crops, putting farmers in further distress.
"We feel the current compensation will prove to be insufficient for farmers and have thus decided to approach the Centre with a request for an additional aid of Rs 2,000 crore. We will go to the Centre formally in the next 2-3 days," he told reporters at the state secretariat in Mumbai.
"We will send a memorandum to the Centre. Once the formalities are done, we expect to start receiving the Centre's help for hailstorm-affected farmers in the next 8-10 days," Khadse said. Asked about Shiv Sena President Uddhav Thackeray's comments that proceeds of his paintings to be auctioned at Jehangir Art gallery will go towards farmers affected from drought and hailstorms, Khadse said he "welcomed" the move.
"The Government is doing everything in its capacity to help distressed farmers. If Uddhav Thackeray, too, wants to help, we welcome it. We, from our end, will do whatever we can to put an end to the woes of farmers," the BJP Minister said. Niphad, Dindori and Chandwad towns in Nashik district were battered by a hailstorm last month. Crops in hundreds of acres were damaged in the natural disaster and agriculturists were saddled with debt running into hundreds of crores.
A string of hailstorms in December 2013 and in the first three months of 2014 had damaged well-grown rabi crops. The hailstorm in March last year had wreaked havoc on horticulture and agriculture crops in Osmanabad district, which falls in the rain-shadow Marathwada region, triggering a wave of suicides by farmers.
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