'Maha govt to give aid up to 3 hectares for crop losses due to unseasonal rains'

The Maharashtra government will give financial assistance up to three hectares of land to farmers who have suffered crop losses due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms in the last few days Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Wednesday reported news agency PTIA cabinet minister separately said the quantum of aid will be decided after completing the ongoing crop damage assessment exercise reported PTIUnseasonal rainfall and hailstorms last weekend have damaged crops on nearly one lakh hectares of land in different parts of Maharashtra including Marathwada and Vidarbha regions Shinde said on Monday citing preliminary estimates reported PTIDuring a state cabinet meeting on Wednesday Shinde directed officials of revenue and agriculture departments to conduct panchanamas surveys of crop losses in a coordinated way reported PTIPanchanamas are taking place on a warfooting A decision has been taken to give relief up to three hectares The government is committed to stand by farmers the CM told reporters after the meeting reported PTIHe said all district guardian ministers must visit affected farmers along with officials from departments concerned reported PTIHitting back at his predecessor and Shiv Sena UBT president Uddhav Thackeray Shinde said those who worked through Facebook Live during coronavirus pandemic while holding CM post should not teach a party worker like him how to handle administrative matters reported PTIPeople are intelligent enough to see through these attacks he said reported PTIOn Tuesday Thackeray had slammed Shinde for visiting Telangana for campaigning for a BJP candidate for the November 30 assembly polls amid crop losses in the state due to unseasonal rains reported PTILater talking to reporters Anil Patil Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation said the exact assistance amount will be decided only after all panchanamas are completed reported PTIHe said 18 districts of the total 36 have been affected due to unseasonal rains and hailstorms leading to crop losses reported PTIFinal report will be submitted at the earliest It is necessary that panchanamas of all farmers who have suffered crop losses are done Patil said reported PTIHe said major damage was reported in Nashik district for grapes tomato and onion crops while foodgrains bore the brunt of untimely showers in Vidarbha reported PTIInteracting with reporters before the cabinet meeting Patil said the crop damage assessment report will be available in the next eight days reported PTIState government officials have been asked to submit the crop damage assessment report in the next eight days The state government will announce compensation including financial assistance to farmers once the statelevel final report is with us said the minister reported PTIPrimary assistance in some of the villages and tehsils where unseasonal showers have caused havoc has already been provided We are currently gathering more details to ensure no affected person is left out of the final list he maintained reported PTIUntimely showers and hailstorms on November 25 and 26 some areas reported rains on more days have caused havoc in parts of the state including in districts like Nashik Buldana and Ahmednagar where cash crops including grape onion and cotton have suffered extensive damage reported PTIMeanwhile Leader of Opposition in Legislative Council Ambadas Danve of the Shiv Sena UBT has demanded financial assistance of Rs 50000 per hectare to rainhit farmers reported PTIA memorandum containing four demands including Rs 50000 per hectare aid to cultivators and signed by leaders of the opposition party was submitted to the Divisional Commissioners office in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in central Maharashtra on Wednesday reported PTIDuring the day Danve toured rainaffected areas of Buldhana Jalna and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts and met farmers who have suffered crop losses reported PTIThe opposition leader and his party colleagues later submitted the memorandum reported PTIDanve in the memorandum said though initial reports have suggested that crops spread over 60000 hectares of land in four districts of Marathwada have suffered damage the actual loss is more than that reported PTIHe said the crop loss survey should be conducted in the entire region and aid given to all affected cultivators reported PTIUnseasonal rains have damaged standing crops on 6015836 hectares of land in Marathwada including fruit plantations an official from Divisional Commissioners office in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar said in a release reported PTIAs many as 613 villages in three districts of the region were impacted by spells of untimely rainfall it said reported PTIPrimary crop loss survey was flashed by the divisional commissioner office on Wednesday The land having crops fruit plantations have been affected by unseasonal rains reported PTIAccording to a report put out by the Divisional Commissioners office rains in Marathwada on November 2628 impacted 509 villages in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district 75 in Parbhani 15 in Jalna and 14 in Beed reported PTITwo persons on each in Hingoli and Beed districts died in rainrelated incidents in the region said the report reported PTIAs many as 207 animals also perished in the region during rainfall with Jalna district recording the highest fatalities at 79 it said reported PTIThe highest rainaffected farmland was in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar where crops on 46202 hectares including fruit plantations were damaged It was followed by Jalna 13049 hectares Parbhani 69236 hectares and Beed 215 hectares the report said reported PTIWith inputs from PTI