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Swaraj Abhiyan slams state's response to drought

The government, he said, should have instead taken measures to save whatever water was there in the wells. "There may still be some water in wells and canals, if they dig deep," said Yadav.

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Swaraj Abhiyan’s national leader Yogendra Yadav during a press conference at Marathi Patrakar Sangh on Saturday
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Swaraj Abhiyan, the breakaway faction of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), on Saturday slammed the state government for its response to the drought situation in Maharashtra. The group held a press conference at the Marathi Patrakar Sangh, which was chaired by its leader Yogendra Yadav.

"The state government is to be blamed for the present situation. Soon after the monsoon last year, we had conducted a yatra (tour) in various villages of the state. We anticipated the situation, made a report and stated some measures that should have been taken soon," said Yadav. His party has filed a petition in the Supreme Court regarding the matter. He said the recent step taken by the government of sending water by a train was the last resort.

"This measure will not solve the problem. What will they do when the situation worsens two months later? Several other measures should have been taken. Drinking water should be a priority over every thing else, including IPL. There was a study in 1990s, which proposed avoiding sugarcane farming, but that was also ignored," said Yadav.

The government, he said, should have instead taken measures to save whatever water was there in the wells. "There may still be some water in wells and canals, if they dig deep," said Yadav.

He slammed the government for not implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme. "This is the state that first started MNREGS in 1970s. It has always shown way to other states and much was expected. They, however, failed to implement even what was kept in front of them as suggestions. Figures show that they have not given work under the scheme. Worse, the drought-affected areas, where one would expect more work, the opportunities available are less by 1.5%," said Yadav.

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