Fadnavis meets Shah, seeks aid for rain-hit farmers

Chief minister Devendra Fadanavis met Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday and requested immediate financial assistance to farmers who sustained heavy crop loss

Chief minister Devendra Fadanavis met Union home minister Amit Shah on Monday and requested immediate financial assistance to farmers who sustained heavy crop loss owing to unseasonal rains over the last few weeks. According to the preliminary estimates, 70 lakh hectares worth of crop have been destroyed and the damage is expected to rise further as it continues to rain in the districts.

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The state government has requested the Centre to alter the norms for relief under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), which has no provision of assistance for unseasonal rains. The state government is expected to demand central assistance for losses sustained due to cyclones, which is covered under the NDRF.

Requests have also been put forth to the Centre to relax the norms for compensation from crop insurance companies and to send teams to review the losses.

Shah has reportedly assured the CM that a meeting will be held with the representatives of crop insurance companies.

“We have requested the Centre to intervene by directing the insurance companies to consider the punchnamas prepared by the state machinery as proof for claims,” said an official from the relief and rehabilitation department. While the government is yet to arrive at an exact estimate of the crop loss, Fadnavis had announced on Saturday that ₹10,000 crore had been approved as relief to farmers who sustained losses.

“We have directed the district machinery to complete the punchnamas of the losses by November 6,” said Kishor Raje Nimbalkar, secretary, relief and rehabilitation department.

Meanwhile, the Congress has called the government’s announcement to provide a ₹10,000-crore relief fund to the farmers, a sham. “There is neither enough outlay in the contingency fund or the relief and rehabilitation department, nor has supplementary provision been made by the government,” said Sachin Sawant, Congress spokesperson.