Daijiworld Media Network - Nagpur
Nagpur, Nov 8: In a gesture of solidarity with farmers battling severe drought, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis celebrated Diwali with a farming family at Lohari Sawanga village in Narkhed taluka of Nagpur district on Saturday night, setting aside grand festivities to understand the difficulties faced by cultivators.
Fadnavis spent the evening at the home of farmer Rambhau Balpande, interacting with his family and other villagers about crop losses, irrigation problems, water shortages and the financial difficulties confronting the farming community.
The chief minister and his cabinet colleagues had decided to celebrate Diwali by visiting rural households and spending time with farmers affected by the prevailing drought. Poor rainfall and adverse weather conditions have severely affected agricultural production across Maharashtra, with cotton, soybean and tur crops among those suffering significant damage.
Speaking about the initiative, Fadnavis said there was no immediate solution to a drought situation but assured farmers that the government would extend all possible assistance. He said the objective of celebrating Diwali with farming families was to boost their morale and reassure them that the government stood firmly behind them during the difficult period.
Fadnavis arrived at Lohari Sawanga around 7.30 pm and first visited the Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj temple. He joined villagers in singing bhajans and participating in a collective prayer before the saint's portrait, seeking happiness, peace and prosperity for everyone.
At around 8.30 pm, he reached Balpande's modest tiled-roof house, where he was welcomed by the farmer, his wife, two sons, daughters-in-law and other women from the village. The family performed an aarti and applied tilak to the chief minister.
Fadnavis interacted warmly with the family and enquired about their agricultural difficulties. He also affectionately picked up and played with Balpande's one-year-old granddaughter.
The chief minister subsequently joined the family for a traditional Maharashtrian dinner. Sitting cross-legged on a wooden platform, he enjoyed a simple home-cooked meal comprising vegetables, dal, rice, chapatis and bharli vangi (stuffed brinjal).
Following dinner, Fadnavis met around 100 villagers at a gathering held on the gram panchayat premises. The interaction continued for nearly an hour and 15 minutes, during which farmers raised concerns about agricultural losses, irrigation facilities, water availability, crop conditions and other local issues.
Assuring them of government support, Fadnavis said financial assistance and additional welfare measures would be extended to help farming families overcome the crisis.
During the interaction, the chief minister acknowledged that changing weather patterns had caused excessive rainfall in some areas, followed by prolonged dry spells that damaged agricultural produce.
He said soybean crops had suffered poor pod formation, while cotton and other crops had also recorded significant losses. Several regions were additionally facing shortages of drinking water and fodder for cattle.
Fadnavis said the government would facilitate permission for drilling irrigation borewells wherever feasible to address water shortages. He also discussed measures to protect the upcoming Rabi crop and encouraged farmers to make use of schemes providing fencing for agricultural land.
He highlighted the difficulties faced by orange and sweet lime growers in the Katol-Narkhed belt, who have suffered losses due to restrictions imposed by Bangladesh on imports of these fruits. A major food-processing project coming up at the MIHAN project in Nagpur is expected to provide farmers with opportunities to process their produce and explore alternative markets.
The chief minister also referred to the government's financial relief initiatives, stating that advance assistance of Rs 5,000 had been deposited into the accounts of around 1.5 crore farmers. He said the process of extending loan waiver benefits to eligible farmers was also under way.
The state government has also announced a complete waiver of farmers' electricity bills, involving an estimated expenditure of around Rs 58,000 crore.
Fadnavis further outlined long-term measures to address recurring drought conditions, including repairs to existing lakes and check dams, construction of new water conservation structures and improvement of farm access roads under the state's rural road development programme.
He said strengthening water conservation infrastructure before the next monsoon would be crucial to ensuring adequate water availability in drought-affected regions. The government would also organise health camps and facilitate medical treatment and surgeries for rural residents who could otherwise face financial difficulties.
Farmer Rambhau Balpande expressed happiness over the chief minister's visit, saying his family was proud to have hosted him for Diwali. He said the chief minister's decision to share their difficulties and spend time with the family had given them encouragement to face the crisis.
Fadnavis was accompanied by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, MLAs Charansingh Thakur and Ashish Deshmukh, MLC Rajiv Potdar, Nagpur District Collector Kumar Ashirwad and Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Vinayak Mahamuni.
The initiative is part of the state government's broader effort to reach out to drought-affected farming communities during the festive season and assure them of continued support.