 "Nana Patekar, Aamir Khan")
Even as Maharashtra grapples with a widespread drought that has seen trainloads of water being delivered to the Latur region, a few actors from Bollywood as well as the Marathi film industry, such as Nana Patekar, Aamir Khan, and Akshay Kumar, have stepped in to help out.
Actor Nana Patekar, along with his friend Makarand Anasapure, has started the NAAM Foundation, an organisation which will provide aid to farmers hit by drought. Its basic objective is to focus on generating employment, providing education to the children of farmers facing financial crisis, bringing growth in agriculture and finding a permanent solution to the water problem.
Read more from our special coverage on "DROUGHT"
According to a Times of India report, the actors also decided to adopt villages in the region reeling under drought for a year or so. The actors said that their aim to is to make the villages tanker-free and self-sufficient.
The organisation is not new, though. In October last year, the foundation had adopted two drought-hit villages Dhondalgaon and Gogalgaon in Vaijapur taluka of Aurangabad district.
Over the period of seven months from the time of its launch, the Foundation got support from actress Renuka Shanane, Marathi actor Jitendra Joshi, senior actor Dilip Prabhavalkar, actress Girija Oak, director Purushottame Berde, actor Sayaji Shinde and others.
According to a report in Times of India, Motarkar, a farmer from Beed had written letters to district authorities saying he would take the extreme step of suicide if his loan was not waived.
"That's when word reached Nana Patekar and Makarand who promised to take care of my children's education. They also told me that they will find a middle path for my loan. They gifted me and my family another life. I will never think of suicide," said Motarkar.
Aamir Khan, who was at the receiving end of the anti-national debate for his comments over growing intolerance, has adopted two villages facing a water crisis.
The superstar had been touring the drought-affected regions to take stock of the situation.
He also joined hands with Paani Foundation for the Satyamev Jayate Water Cup campaign which aims at water conservation and spreading awareness about the same. It is a contest among the villages of Maharashtra, in which villages will be involved in water conservation activities, with the winning village bagging prize money of Rs 50 lakh.
Aamir Khan adopts two drought-hit villages of Maharashtra
The Times of India also reported that Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar has offered support for drought-hit regions by donating Rs 50 lakh for Jalyukt Shivar Abhiyaan, a state-sponsored initiative to make villages in the state drought-proof.
Earlier, too, the actor had donated Rs 90 lakh to be used to help support the 180 families of farmers who had committed suicide. In addition, Kumar is planning to do a charity show with actor Riteish Deshmukh in Latur.
