Actual aid decision for drought-hit farmers after ground-level assessment: Sunetra Pawar

Mumbai witnessed the Maharashtra government declaring drought in 265 out of the 358 talukas on Saturday. Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar announced that the actual aid to farmers will be determined post-ground-level assessment. The government has proposed 12 relief measures, such as fee concessions for students and the initiation of employment guarantee works.

Covering 74% of the state, Pawar highlighted that 265 drought-affected talukas pose a difficult situation for farmers, dealing with damaged crops, water scarcity, and fodder shortages for livestock. She stressed that the relief measures will be decided following the ground-level and objective assessment, as the drought was only declared today.

Pawar visited Nanded and planned to travel to Parbhani and Beed districts to gauge the situation and engage with farmers. She also addressed concerns for students from Marathwada studying in Pune and Mumbai, promising to review the additional difficulties they might face.