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Farmers still waiting for 'achche din'! 90 lakh farmers in Maha affected by drought

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Google Oneindia News

Mumbai, Feb 3: Maharshtra which is known for its farm crisis, has nearly 90 lakh farmers who have been affected by the drought in the state.

As per a TOI report, "Official data shows that two-thirds of the state's 1.37crore farmers have been affected by the drought which has impacted mainly the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions. These areas have historically been the most deprived in the state.

Farmers still waiting for 'achche din'! 90 lakh farmers in Maha affected by drought.
Two weeks ago, the state government officially declared that 60% of its villages were facing a "drought-like condition". This means that they reported a crop yield which was less than 50% of the standard yield in the area. In absolute figures, 23,811 of the state's 39,453 villages come in this category. "

"It is a very difficult situation. Farmers in the state are facing severe agrarian distress," state relief and rehabilitation secretary K H Govinda Raj was quoted as saying in the daily's report.

Marathwada and Vidarbha regions continue to grapple with scarcity and so far relief worth Rs 2,000 crore has been released by the state government. The state government has sought a Rs 4,500 crore relief package from the Centre which is yet to come.

Though the state government feels that it has taken definite steps to tackle the drought conditions and is reaching out to affected farmers in Maharashtra, but the situation still remains grim with such a big number getting affected due to the droughts.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh had also assured Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis that the committee headed by him would soon consider the state's memorandum on the drought situation and release maximum-possible assistance.

"The situation is grim... We have decided not to cut electricity connections to farmers in the drought-affected areas even if they default on power bill payments," Fadnavis said, talking to reporters at Aurangabad this evening after reviewing the situation.

"We will also try to bring water to Marathwada through river-linking," he said.

Over 19,000 of the 40,000 villages in the state have recorded low crop yield this season.

"The government has also decided to waive fees of 10th and 12th class students in the affected areas," Fadnavis said.

OneIndia News

(With inputs from agencies)

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