The Maharashtra Cabinet has approved an advance payment of Rs 5,000 to each of 1.5 crore farmers in 304 drought-affected talukas, to be sent straight to their bank accounts before Diwali, Rural Voice reported.
The money goes to farmers whose crop losses exceed 33%. It is an advance on a larger relief package the state will announce once it finishes assessing the drought damage, and 3.5 lakh farmers have been identified for a proposed loan waiver now being processed.
Water is the sharpest problem, especially in Marathwada, where groundwater has fallen by more than three metres. The state plans to send enough water tankers fitted with GPS tracking to monitor deliveries and stop misuse, and more than 16,000 illegal water connections have already been cut.
Banks and microfinance institutions have been told not to forcibly recover loan instalments or electricity bills from affected farmers. The government will also buy fodder directly and encourage farmers to grow fodder crops so that livestock have enough feed.
The drought follows a weak monsoon: the Centre has declared drought in five states, Maharashtra among them, in a year of strong El Nino conditions.
Source: Rural Voice
Comments
(0)