Cabinet sub-committee under revenue minister to oversee urgent drought relief

On Wednesday, the chief minister will visit drought-affected areas in Latur, Dhanrashiv and Solapur districts, officials said

Mumbai: Following reports of water scarcity and crop damage from several parts of Maharashtra owing to a deficit in monsoon rainfall, the state government on Tuesday constituted a cabinet sub-committee headed by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule to closely monitor the situation and decide on drought relief. Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said a notification regarding the drought-like situation will be issued by Saturday and he would start touring drought-affected areas from Wednesday. He also ordered the administration to start the crop damage assessment survey and register panchnamas from tomorrow, instead of the scheduled start on October 5.

The cabinet sub-committee is headed by revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule (HT PHOTO)

Fadnavis spoke about formation of the cabinet sub-committee after the weekly meeting of the state cabinet. The sub-committee has been given powers equal to the cabinet and it will meet every week to review field reports and take necessary measures, he said. The chief minister and two deputy chief ministers will review the sub-committee’s weekly reports and take decisions at the senior level, while major policy decisions would continue to be referred to the state cabinet, Fadnavis clarified.

On Wednesday, the chief minister will visit drought-affected areas in Latur, Dhanrashiv and Solapur districts, officials said.

The sub-committee includes ministers Girish Mahajan, Gulabrao Patil, Sanjay Rathod, Pankaja Munde, Dattatray Bharne, Jaikumar Gore, Pratap Sarnaik, Makarand Patil and Babasaheb Patil. Chief secretary Rajesh Aggarwal serves as its secretary.

During its meeting on Tuesday, the state cabinet reviewed rainfall figures, water availability and the crop situation across the state. As of now, 23 districts are facing more than 20% rainfall deficit and the water stock in dams is 76.09%, 12% lesser than last year. Prolonged dry spells during the monsoon have also damaged major kharif crops such as soybean, cotton, maize and paddy, the cabinet was informed.

Fadnavis said surveys to assess crop loss would begin on Wednesday and the state government would not wait for assistance from the central government to provide immediate relief to farmers affected by drought. The government is focussing on ensuring supply of drinking water and fodder for livestock through local bodies, and the state will submit a proposal later, seeking central assistance under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms.

“Immediate measures are required to deal with the drought situation. I will visit some drought affected areas from tomorrow. I have also instructed ministers and public representatives to visit such affected areas and meet farmers on the ground. Considering less water in small and medium dams in districts with deficit rainfall, planning would be undertaken for the next 7-8 months in coordination with municipal corporations, municipalities and other local bodies,” Fadnavis said.