Drought control is top priority, assures Shinde

Maharashtra chief minister, Sushilkumar Shinde, yesterday said his government was according top priority to check the drought-like situation in the state, especially in the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions.

Talking to reporters, Shinde, who was here to lay the foundation stone for the S B Chavan memorial, said, as some districts of the Marathwada region, including Nanded, received less than fifty per cent rainfall, work has been provided to the affected people under employment generation schemes (EGS).

So far 13,000 people were provided work in Nanded district, he added.

He alleged that despite several requests for Central help of Rs 1,700 crore as drought relief, the NDA government sanctioned only Rs 41 crore.

"However, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh released Rs 201 crore in addition to 3 lakh metric tonne of foodgrains. He would also visit the Amravati and Nagpur divisions on Tuesday to review the situation", he said.

On the national river linking project, he said Maharashtra has little share in it, so his government had proposed inclusion of internal linking of rivers in the state for maximum water utilisation.

On the Opposition's demand for waiving off farmer's loans and power bills, he said when the NDA was in power at the Centre and BJP-Shiv Sena in the state, they did "nothing" in this regard. However, the credit-line to farmers has been extended to five years, thanks to the UPA government at the Centre, he said.

On reservation to Muslim minorities in government jobs in Maharashtra on the lines of Andhra Pradesh, Shinde said the issue was under study and party president Sonia Gandhi has made some suggestions on it.

On malnutrition deaths in the state, Shinde reiterated that the media was exaggerating the death toll.

When pointed out to the chief minister that the free text-books were yet to be supplied to school students, he said books would be provided within 15 days.