Maha CM seeks PMO aid for drought relief
With nearly half of Maharashtra reeling under drought and the state finances strained, chief minister (CM) Devendra Fadnavis on Friday sought intervention of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) for speedier assistance from the Central government. The state has submitted a proposal to the Centre for assistance of ₹7,962 crore for drought relief. A team from the Centre is currently camping in the state for its site visit.
The CM has also sought help from the PMO to take the Dharavi redevelopment project — pending since 2004 — forward with respect to transfer of land owned by the railways.
Fadnavis met with Nripendra Mishra, principal secretary to the PM, along with a delegation of officials in Delhi. After the meeting, the chief minister’s office (CMO) tweeted: “CM @Dev_Fadnavis expressed concerns over severity of the drought and sought early assistance. Principal Speedier dispersal of drought relief:
Drought package for agri losses to farmers for cattle fodder
for water supply
Assistance for Dharavi revamp. To speed up transfer of railway land of around 84 acres for the project
Additional target of 6 lakh houses to be allotted to Maharashtra under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) for Secretary in PMO, Nripendra Misra assured for early procedures and subsequently required decision making.”
About the Dharavi project, the CMO tweeted: “A committee will be formed with officials from the rural areas as the state government has provided up to ₹50,000 for land purchase of up to 500 sq.ft and also made land available for PMAY beneficiaries
Early finalisation of draft CRZ notification and finalisation of eco-sensitive zones of Thane, Tungareshwar and Great Indian Bustard wildlife sanctuary, Solapur. Railway Board and CEO, Dharavi Redevelopment and a decision will be taken soon on railway land requirement.”
Nearly 151 of 355 tehsils are reeling under a severe drought in the state, which has impacted kharif production of nearly 77 lakh farmers. “Typically processing and completion of modalities for drought relief takes a couple of months. We have requested that once the report is prepared by the team from the Centre, the relief should be given within a few weeks. The PMO has assured us this will be done,’’ said a senior official. Of ₹7,962 crore, the state has sought ₹7,100 crore as relief for agriculture losses, ₹535 crore for fodder camps and ₹327 crore for water supply.
The Dharavi redevelopment project has been on the cards since 2004. The Fadnavis government is hoping that the work on the project can start by Januaryend next year. However, this would depend on transfer of land by the railways for transit accommodation. “The committee will have to finalise the modalities of land transfer vis-a-vis what the railways can get in return. If this is sorted out, we can start with the first phase of the project by January-end. The railways will not need to formulate a policy for this,’’ said another official.
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