Mumbai: In view of the severe drought conditions prevalent in several parts of the state, the Maharashtra government Thursday announced disbursement of Rs 2,900 crore for relief measures in the affected areas. Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation Chandrakant Patil, speaking to reporters at Mantralaya after chairing a meeting on drought relief measures, said the government has directed the district collectors to start one or more fodder camps at ‘mandal’ levels.
Each camp will house around 300-500 animals, he said. “Those ‘gau rakshan’ institutions, that have been provided government aid, had been already asked to start fodder camps in their premises. “In accordance with it, five fodder camps have already been started in drought hit regions,” he said.
Patil said the state government had already sent a proposal to the Centre, demanding Rs 7,900 crore for drought relief measures. However, considering the gravity of the situation, the state government will distribute Rs 2,900 crore from its own treasury for relief measures in the affected areas.
Meanwhile, the state government will hold a Disaster Management Conference at the IIT Bombay, in which over 1000 people from 56 nations are expected to participate. Patil said the 4-day conference will start on January 29 and will deliberate on ‘Building the Future We Want: Bridging Gaps between promises and Action’.