New CM Devendra Fadnavis clears Rs 5,000 crore aid for farmers, reopens relief fund

MUMBAI: In the midst of the continuing political drama in the state, Devendra Fadnavis, who was sworn in as chief minister early on Saturday morning, took charge on Monday.
The first decision he took after resuming office was to restart the CM’s relief fund cell, which provides financial assistance to poor patients. The cell shut on November 12, the day President's rule was imposed in the state.
Fadnavis signed a cheque of Rs 1.2 lakh from the relief fund for Kusum Vegurlekar, who is being treated for cancer at Dhanwantri Hospital in Dadar.
TOI had reported that scores of patients and their relatives would gather at Mantralaya in the hope of financial assistance after the cell was shut. Many had said the cell was their only hope to complete medical treatment.
Fadnavis also sanctioned Rs 5,380 crore from the state’s contingency fund towards providing relief to farmers hit by unseasonal rains in the state. This amount is an addition to last week’s first installment of Rs 2,059 crore cleared by the state. According to state estimates, crop losses due to unseasonal rains in October work out to around Rs 8,200 crore.
As many as one crore of the 1.5 crore farmers in the state have been hit by unseasonal rains since October.
The latest data shows that 67% of kharif crop or 93 lakh hectares have been affected.
That apart, Fadnavis chaired a meeting to discuss the proposed ‘Climate Resilience Improvement and Flood and Drought Management Program’ with representatives of the World Bank.
“All technical modalities got discussed at this meeting and Fadnavis directed that the proposal be placed for cabinet approval. The World Bank will spend Rs 3,500 crore on the project, out of which Rs 350 crore is for technical assistance,” said Fadnavis.
This program includes diversion of floodwater to drought-prone areas while maintaining an environmental balance.
A discussion was also held on ‘Smart Village’—a project for 20 lakh farmers in 10,000 villages for better market opportunities to farmers by connecting with corporate houses.