Rs 2,297 cr for flood-hit in State; Vidarbha to get only Rs 288.44 cr
   Date :10-Nov-2020

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Staff Reporter :
 
Aurangabad Division gets 58% of aid share, Vidarbha region that includes two divisions gets only 12.55% of aid share
 
 
Maharashtra Government, on Monday, released the ‘first installment’ of aid to farmers and people affected due to excessive rainfall and floods in State during June to October this year. Of the total amount of Rs 2,297.0637 crore for the State, Vidarbha region will be getting Rs 288.4429 crore, that is, 12.55 per cent of total aid. As far as aid to farmers is concerned, the Government has approved Rs 10,000 per hectare for minimum 33 per cent loss of crop, and Rs 25,000 per hectare for minimum 33 per cent loss of multi-year horticulture crop. The aid will be for crop loss in up to maximum two hectares.
 

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However, the highest share of Rs 1,336.8923 crore has been allocated for Aurangabad Division. It is 58.20 per cent of overall provision of Rs 2,297.0637 crore. Pune Division has got Rs 388.3440 crore. Nashik Division has got Rs 226.8919 crore, and Konkan Division has got Rs 56.4926 crore. Nagpur Division has got the lowest share of Rs 17.8931 crore in the State. Bhandara district, which was the worst-hit in Nagpur Division, has got Rs 10.6229 crore out of total aid for the division. Nagpur, which is the district with status of Second Capital of Maharashtra, has got allocation of only Rs 65.18 lakh. Wardha district has got even lesser allocation of Rs 58.30 lakh. However, in the State, the top two recipients of aid are Solapur district with aid of Rs 294.8122 crore, and Nanded with aid of Rs 284.5278 crore.
 
Jalna district in Aurangabad Division has got allocation of Rs 271.6096 crore, which is more than the allocation for entire Amravati Division which comprises five districts. Recently, Maha Vikas Aghadi Government in State had drawn criticism from Kishore Tiwari, farm activist and Chairman of Vasantrao Naik Sheti Swawalamban Mission. He had pointed out that Vidarbha region was getting slightly over Rs 7 crore only out of total relief package of Rs 10,000 crore announced by the State Government. Following this, now the Government has released what it calls ‘first instalment’ of aid. Compared to earlier figure as pointed out by Tiwari, the amount of aid this time is higher.
 
However, in comparison to State, Vidarbha is still getting only 12.55 per cent of the total aid share. Revenue and Forest Department of State Government issued a Government Resolution (GR) regarding the release of aid on Monday. The aid was being released, it stated, as per the demand made by Divisional Commissioners of various administrative divisions in State. The department received letter seeking aid to affected people from Nagpur Divisional Commissioner on October 28, and that from Amravati Divisional Commissioner on October 26. State Executive Committee gave its nod to distribution of aid to affected people in its meeting held on November 3.
 
Accordingly, the department issued the GR on Monday. Election Commission of India has given its nod to distribution of aid, but has asked the machinery to ensure that the Model Code of Conduct for Graduates’ Constituency and Teachers’ Constituency elections for Legislative Council are not violated. The aid has been released for payment of compensation in case of loss of life, complete or partial damage to houses or cattle-sheds, loss of livestock, loss to fishermen, crop damage/loss, loss of clothes/utensils etc.