Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan will lead an all party delegation to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh tomorrow to seek central assistance from the natural calamity fund to provide relief to the farmers whose crops were damaged in heavy rains.
The state Cabinet, which met late on Wednesday evening, decided to meet the PM after the Centre announced a Rs 400-crore assistance to Andhra Pradesh on December 22. The Centre had earlier expressed its inability to provide any assistance.
The Chavan-led government had announced a package of Rs 1,000 crore to help the affected farmers in the state. However, members of both the ruling and opposition parties have demanded a higher compensation amount per hectare to paddy, grapes and other standing kharif crops which were damaged in the unseasonal rains.
They had also asked the state government to make a fresh appeal to the Centre for release of funds.
Food and Civil Supplies minister Anil Deshmukh told Business Standard: “An all party delegation comprising members of Parliament and leaders of opposition from the state legislature will make a strong argument in favour of more funds from the Centre’s kitty.” He hoped the government at the Centre would react positively.
A Congress minister, requesting anonymity, said Chavan, who had been a minister of state at the Centre for six years, will be able to make a strong case to get central assistance for the farmers. “The Centre has acted positively by releasing Rs 400 crore to Andhra Pradesh and we expect a similar gesture from the Prime Minister.”
Follwoing the Centre’s refusal to release special funds, the state government had started exploring options to mobilise resources. Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who also holds the finance department, had indicated that a cut in expenditures of various departments will be considered on priority.
Besides, the government had also thought of stepping up its efforts to recover tax from evaders.
