States » WestPosted at: Sep 24 2026 2:35PM


Govt to aid drought-hit farmers without waiting for centre: Minister Hasan Mushrif

Kolhapur, Sep 24 (UNI) Maharashtra government will issue a Government Resolution (GR) on drought relief within the next two to three days and provide assistance to farmers without waiting for funds from the Centre, said state Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif.
Mushrif said the drought situation has been discussed seriously at the recent Cabinet meeting and it has been decided to convey to farmers that the government stood firmly behind them. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM have been visiting drought-affected areas as part of the government’s efforts to assess the situation and reassure farmers.
The extent of the damage can be assessed only after a scientific assessment. The panchnamas began on Wednesday and the government will provide assistance without waiting for funds from the Centre, Mushrif said.
He accused the Opposition of attempting to politicise the drought issue, saying the actual extent of crop damage will become clear only after the assessment process is completed.
Mushrif also defended the functioning of the Agriculture Department and said policy decisions were within the authority of the Cabinet. The powers of an individual minister are essentially the powers of the Cabinet. The Agriculture Minister is working effectively and this is helping reduce public anger. This is what is troubling Rohit Pawar, he said.
Referring to the drought relief process in Karnataka, Mushrif said a similar procedure is being followed in the state. “Karnataka has issued GRs covering talukas facing severe drought. Maharashtra will also issue the GR after the panchnamas are completed,” he said.
Responding to criticism over the need for crop-wise assessment before extending financial assistance, Mushrif said details such as the crop cultivated, the area affected and the extent of damage were necessary to determine the compensation.
“Information about the crop cultivated, the area under cultivation and the extent of crop damage has to be collected before deciding the compensation. It cannot be given uniformly without assessing the actual loss,” he said.
On the Pune Graduates' constituency in the Legislative Council, Mushrif said the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has maintained its dominance in the seat in the last three to four elections and will make efforts at the senior level to retain it in the seat-sharing arrangement.
He said former NCP candidate Arun Lad had earlier indicated that he would not contest the next election and has suggested that Bhaiyya Mane should be given an opportunity.
“Bhaiyya Mane has been working in the constituency for the last 20 years and has registered the highest number of graduates. If he gets the nomination, he will become the MLA,” Mushrif said.
He added that discussions on seat-sharing will be held and a solution will emerge through negotiations.
Expressing views on the Election Commission Controversy, the minister said the Centre's top leadership will find an appropriate solution to the controversy involving officials of the Election Commission. He referred to Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Gyanesh Kumar and said he has also served during the period when Congress governments came to power in Telangana and Karnataka.
Mushrif said a Mahayuti meeting will be held within two days to discuss the upcoming Gokul election and expressed confidence that an agreement on around 80 per cent of the seats will be reached.
He said issues on which the alliance partners failed to reach an agreement will be resolved by the CM. “It has already been decided and accepted by everyone that NCP is the senior partner in Gokul,” he said.
Mushrif declined to comment on the exact number of seats that each alliance partner will contest. He said differences over the seat-sharing arrangement have now been resolved and the alliance will contest the election together.
He also clarified that the Gokul election will not be held unopposed, saying statements by different leaders regarding an unopposed election are not significant.
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