Heavy rains and floods that ravaged Maharashtra from July – November 2021 damaged crop standing over 4.55 lakh hectares. Farmers lost as many as 4,400 livestock in the flood.
As per the information provided by the State government to the Union Ministry of Agriculture, apart from crop damage and loss of livestock ,about 53,653 houses were damaged in the State.
During the current financial year 2021-22, Maharashtra has been allocated ₹3,436.80 crore under State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), which includes ₹2,577.60 crore from Central share and ₹859.20 crore from State’s share. The fund is being used for flood management and providing assistance to the affected. Besides, an amount of ₹701 crore was released to State from National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) in August 2021, as relief for floods that occurred in 2020 in the State.
Farmers unhappy with assistance
However many farmers in the State are unhappy with the assistance provided by the State and the Centre. In Marathwada and the western Maharashtra region, farmers allege that no help has come their way. Recently, farmers in the State organized a series of marches demanding assistance for the crop damage.