Dry fruits at Maharashtra drought meeting spark row; Fadnavis urges sensitivity

Cashews and almonds served at a drought review meeting in Nanded have drawn criticism of the Maharashtra government’s sensitivity towards farmers facing crop losses and water shortages.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis facing flack over drought relief, acknowledged that serving dry fruits was routine at official meetings but admitted that his government officials should have avoided it in the circumstances. The row comes as 83 talukas across 19 districts have gone more than 20 days without rain.

Shiv Sena minister Sanjay Shirsat said he had missed the meeting because of earlier commitments. He said officials had arranged the refreshments and that elected representatives were facing the public criticism. Shirsat added that he would issue instructions to the divisional commissioner.

Opposition MLA Rohit Pawar accused the government of failing to treat the drought with sufficient urgency. The Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) leader called for a special Assembly session to discuss the crisis and relief for farmers.

Fadnavis said cabinet ministers had been assigned to review conditions in their districts. Preliminary crop-loss assessments would be completed within a week to help speed up financial assistance, he said. Three lists of beneficiaries for the loan waiver had been published, with the remaining lists being prepared.

The Chief Minister said the state was arranging fodder and drinking water for badly affected areas. Additional electricity was also being supplied to farmers in the evening to help them irrigate standing crops where wells still held water. Water in major reservoirs, he added, was being reserved for drinking needs, particularly in areas reliant on smaller dams with depleted supplies.

With IANS inputs