CM Eknath Shinde directs officials to provide compensation following recent unseasonal rains

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], October 19 (ANI): Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has directed district collectors to immediately conduct damage assessment surveys and provide compensation for agricultural and other losses caused by recent unseasonal rains across various regions of Maharashtra, a statement from the CM’s office said.

As per the statement, several districts in Amravati, Pune, Nashik, Kolhapur, and Marathwada regions have experienced heavy rainfall over the past few days, with some areas also reporting storms and strong winds.

The Key directives from the Chief Minister include: Immediate panchnama (damage assessment) to be conducted in affected areas; swift compensation to be provided to affected farmers; rapid deployment of assessment teams in affected villages; district-level disaster management cells to be activated

The Chief Minister has instructed that district and taluka-level machinery should be mobilized immediately; All relevant departments should work in coordination; District-level disaster management cells should collaborate with taluka-level authorities, it added.

The administration has been directed to ensure proper coordination between various departments and the immediate implementation of relief measures for the affected farmers, the statement added.

Assembly elections in Maharashtra will be held in a single phase on November 20 with counting of votes on November 23. With this, the political parties have begun gearing up for an election that will be unprecedented in many ways.

MVA is the alliance of Congress, Shiv Sena-UBT (Uddhav Thackeray’s faction) and NCP-SP (Sharad Pawar’s faction). They are up against the ruling Mahayuti- the alliance of BJP, NCP and Shiv Sena (Eknath Shinde faction).

In the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly polls, the Congress and unified Shiv Sena won 154 out of 288 seats as part of the MVA coalition. However, this time around the Shiv Sena (UBT), Sharad Pawar’s NCP and Congress are in alliance to counter the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance.

In the Lok Sabha election held this year, MVA won 30 of the state’s 48 Lok Sabha seats. The ruling alliance won 17. One seat went to an Independent candidate.