Drought relief: Maharashtra Congress launches emergency help cell

The Maharashtra Pradesh Congress Committee has set up an 'emergency assistance committee' to tackle issues related to scarcity of water and fodder due to drought situation in the state.

The cell has been set up by MPCC chief Manikrao Thakre to coordinate relief efforts in view of the drought, MPCC spokesperson Sachin Sawant said here today.

The committee would be operational from May to June and will operate from the state Congress office at Tilak Bhawan in central Mumbai, Sawant said in a release.

Any person in the state can convey issues related to water and fodder scarcity to the cell, Sawant said, adding that the concerned tehsildar and district collector would be informed accordingly.

Follow-up action would be taken with concerned ministers and the chief minister, he said.

The development comes a day after drought-hit Maharashtra was virtually left high and dry after it demanded a Rs 2,200-crore relief package from the Centre with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh asking it to exercise fiscal discipline.

An all-party delegation of MPs and MLAs from Maharashtra, led by Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, which met Singh was told by the Prime Minister in Delhi yesterday to exercise fiscal discipline through proper use of allocations made by the Planning Commission.