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Shah asks state to submit crop damage report soon for relief aid
Speaking at a public function in Pravaranagar, Ahilyanagar district, Shah said he had held detailed discussions with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar over the crop damage across several districts.
PUNE: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday urged the Maharashtra government to submit its report on crop losses, caused by excessive rainfall, at the earliest so that the Centre can extend financial assistance to affected farmers without delay.
Speaking at a public function in Pravaranagar, Ahilyanagar district, Shah said he had held detailed discussions with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and deputy chief ministers Eknath Shinde and Ajit Pawar over the crop damage across several districts.
“On behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, I assured them that once the detailed report is submitted to the Centre, PM Modi will not delay any help to Maharashtra’s farmers,” Shah said. “I have requested the state government to send the report at the earliest so that the relief process can begin quickly.”
The minister’s remarks came after the state government sought central assistance for farmers whose standing crops were destroyed in heavy rains during the last week of September. Around 60 lakh hectares of farmland in Ahilyanagar, Marathwada, and Solapur districts have been affected. Reacting to the delay in submitting crop losses report to Centre, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar said in Pune, “The Maharashtra government should send the report within two days, without which the central government will not be able to offer assistance.”
Shah was speaking after inaugurating the newly expanded Padma Shree Dr Vithalrao Vikhe Patil Cooperative Sugar Factory in Pravaranagar. He also unveiled statues of Padma Shree Dr Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil, the pioneer of India’s cooperative movement, and former Union minister Padma Bhushan Dr Balasaheb Vitthalrao Vikhe Patil.
Highlighting Maharashtra’s contribution to India’s cooperative movement, Shah said, “The land of Maharashtra has always been known for its hardworking farmers and strong cooperative institutions. The Centre will not let their hard work go in vain.”
He informed the gathering that the central government has already released ₹3,132 crore to Maharashtra under various share payments for 2025-26, including ₹1,631 crore disbursed in April under the prime minister’s direction. He lauded the state’s relief measures, such as the ₹2,215 crore package for affected districts, direct cash assistance of ₹10,000 to each farmer, distribution of 25 kg of food grains to eligible families, and the suspension of loan recoveries in severely affected regions.
Referring to the leadership of chief minister Fadnavis and his deputies, Shah said, “Maharashtra’s ‘trimurti’ - Fadnavis, Shinde and Pawar - are not ‘Baniyas’, but they are no less when it comes to financial prudence. They invited me here and asked what the Centre could do for farmers in distress. We had a detailed meeting, after which I assured them of full cooperation from the Centre.”
Chief minister Fadnavis, deputy chief ministers Shinde and Pawar, Union minister of state Murlidhar Mohol, water resources minister Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, rural development minister Jaykumar Gore, and BJP state president Ravindra Chavan were also present at the Pravaranagar event.
