Maharashtra Ministers To Tour Drought-Hit Regions In State

In what seems to be an unprecedented move, the entire council of 28 ministers of the Maharashtra government will be touring the drought-hit region of Maharashtra on Friday.

Officials from Chief Minister's Office said that ministers will be visiting three of the worst affected districts - Beed, Osmanabad and Latur - and will assess how drought relief measures are working on the ground. These measures include fodder camps for cattle, water supply and distribution of compensation.

At the end of the day, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will chair a meeting with all ministers in Latur and take stock of the situation along with senior bureaucrats of the government.

Marathwada comprises of 8 districts and is largely in a rain shadow region. For the past two years the monsoon has been erratic and poor. Farmer suicides in this belt reached an all-time high of 1,130 farmers killing themselves.

In 2016 alone, about 170 farmers have ended their lives hit by the acute agrarian crisis.

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Worryingly, even before summer sets in, dams in Marathwada just have 6 per cent of water compared to 18 per cent which was available last year at this time.

At the same time, just a few days ago, hail and unseasonal rains affected standing crops. Pomegranate plantations, mango and the onion harvest have been impacted.

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The government has assured compensation.