The Centre on Tuesday sanctioned financial assistance of over Rs 4,714 crore for drought-hit Maharashtra, The Indian Express reported. In October last year, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government in the state had declared 151 out of 355 districts drought-hit, and sought Rs 7,962 crore from the Centre.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh for the assistance. “This shows the firm commitment of Union government towards the citizens of Maharashtra,” he tweeted.
Last week, the Maharashtra government had approved Rs 2,900 crore in aid to farmers affected by last year’s drought.
The Centre’s decision to sanction funds for Maharashtra was taken by a committee headed by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh. The money has been sanctioned from the National Disaster Relief Fund. It is expected to be received in February or March, an official in the Chief Minister’s Office said.
However, the opposition Congress criticised the Centre’s move on Tuesday. “The state had demanded Rs 7,962 crore as financial assistance,” Maharashtra Congress chief Ashok Chavan said, according to PTI. “But it received only Rs 4,714 crore. This is half job done.”
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