Decision on Maharashtra's demand for drought aid soon: Sharad Pawar

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Wednesday said decision would be taken soon on drought-related assistance demanded by Maharashtra.

"A central team visited Maharashtra after the state sought aid and submitted its report. The high-powered committee comprising Union ministers Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, myself and Planning Commission Deputy Chairman Montek Singh Ahluwalia have seen the report and we would take a final decision soon," Pawar told reporters, at a function here.

At the same time, Pawar criticised Maharashtra Governor K Sankaranarayanan for not doing enough for the drought-prone areas in the state.

The drought-prone western Maharashtra had not received the required aid as it was being channelised to other regions, he alleged.

"It seems that western Maharashtra has not got the required allocation for irrigation and water projects. The governor should announce relief packages for drought-hit regions, including western Maharashtra, which is being ignored," he said.

Earlier this month, Pawar had slammed the Governor for not touring the drought-prone districts to verify the ground situation, before announcing the budgetary allocation for irrigation and water projects for the year.

"Maharashtra is the only state in the country where the governor has been given powers to allocate this budget in a bid to make up for the backlog to backward regions of the Vidarbha and Marathwada," he added.