States » WestPosted at: Oct 26 2026 6:16PM


Maha: Shinde directs ministers to work on ground for farmers; Bharat Gogawale to tour Marathwada

Mumbai, Oct 26 (UNI) Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde today directed all ministers to visit the drought-hit districts in the state and work actively for farmers affected by the prevailing agrarian crisis.
Ministers are expected to begin work on important measures, including the construction and repair of check dams, desilting of water bodies, establishment of fodder camps and other farmer-support initiatives.
Shinde has instructed ministers to ensure that relief work is implemented on the ground rather than remaining confined to administrative reviews.
Accordingly, Minister Bharat Gogawale has been assigned responsibility for Marathwada and will begin field visits from October 28 to assess the situation and oversee relief measures.
Gogawale said he would visit and inspect four talukas in Nanded to distribute essential materials. He will also tour Latur, Beed and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar districts.
According to him, Rs 420 crore received from the Centre will be utilised for relief measures, while eligible farmers will receive assistance of Rs 1.31 lakh per hectare.
Gogawale also responded to criticism over tree felling for the proposed Torrent project, defending the need to balance environmental concerns with infrastructure development.
He said the project was coming up in an area where the population was growing and where development linked to the proposed third Mumbai was being planned. While approximately 48,500 trees would be felled for the project, the government was also planning to plant more than 70,000 trees, he said.
"The opposition is focused on how to obstruct major projects. Does that mean no project should be allowed to come up?” Gogawale questioned, arguing that the location was suitable for the proposed development. He added that the government would investigate who was behind the objections being raised.
Commenting on political developments and Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut's remarks, Gogawale remarked that the Raigad district was witnessing significant development activity.
He cited infrastructure projects, including the Pune-Thane-Raigad-Mumbai-Palghar connectivity network and the Mumbai-Pune Missing Link, as examples of the region's growing importance. He pointed that projects were being planned in these areas because of their strategic location and development potential.
Taking a swipe at Raut, Gogawale described him as “a different kind of personality” who, he suggested, preferred provocative political exchanges. He observed that Raut had targeted MP Shrikant Shinde, son of Deputy CM Eknath Shinde, and asserted that Eknath Shinde stood firmly behind his colleagues.
Gogawale also called for an inquiry by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) into the relevant matter (allegation of Rs 500 crore), without providing further details in his remarks. He stressed that consultation and discussion were important among alliance partners, particularly when they were working together in government.
Responding to Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar's swipe, Gogawale said October was nearing its end and that Wadettiwar had around six weeks to prepare for the political contest ahead. He remarked that the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and other leaders would respond to him.
On allocation of Finance portfolio, Gogawale expressed his party's preference for the Finance ministry, which he said had been with the BJP since Ajit Pawar's demise.
He stated that his party would like the portfolio to be returned to its earlier arrangement, indicating that the allocation of the Finance Department remained a matter of interest within the ruling alliance.
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