The Maharashtra government has allotted Rs 1,500 crore for disbursal of aid to farmers who suffered crop losses due to heavy rains between May and August this year in the Marathwada region of the state, a senior official said, reported news agency PTI.
Most parts of the Marathwada region, comprising eight districts, recently witnessed torrential rains and flooding. The assessment of crop losses is currently underway.
“The state government has disbursed Rs 1,500 crore to provide compensation to the farmers who faced crop losses from May to August in Marathwada. The process to pay the amount has begun, and the money will directly go into the accounts of the affected farmers,” Divisional Commissioner Jitendra Papalkar told PTI on Friday. He also said that instructions have been given to officials to upload the lists of affected farmers immediately.
Heavy rains and swollen rivers have caused large-scale damage in Marathwada since September 20, claiming at least nine lives. Flooding destroyed crops on lakhs of acres in parts of the state, especially in the Marathwada region.
“There is an alert of more rain in the region for the next three to four days. Therefore, we have informed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and its state counterpart SDRF to remain on standby. Eighty per cent of the crop loss survey is over now,” Papalkar added.
The state is also prioritizing providing financial assistance to the family members of those who lost their lives in the recent floods, he noted. Apart from crop losses, the region has suffered infrastructure-related damages.
“We are carrying out the assessment work. At present, our priority is to help the kin of those who have lost lives, animals, and houses due to the rains last week, apart from giving compensation to farmers,” Papalkar stated.
The Marathwada region, located in the central part of Maharashtra, comprises the districts of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Latur, Parbhani, Nanded, Hingoli, Beed, and Dharashiv.
Rain-related incidents have claimed the lives of 86 persons across these eight districts during the ongoing monsoon season, officials have confirmed.
(With inputs from PTI)
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