Palghar rains: Maharashtra sanctions Rs 39.86 cr for those affected

The Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Department has sanctioned Rs 39.86 crore in financial assistance for families and small business owners affected by heavy rains in Palghar district, an official release said on Saturday, reported the PTI.

The relief package is aimed at helping residents and local livelihood earners recover from the impact of the recent heavy rainfall.

Of the total amount sanctioned, Rs 29.87 crore has been earmarked for relief assistance to affected families.

The district administration has already distributed Rs 22.77 crore to 15,190 beneficiaries under the household assistance scheme, officials said, according to the PTI.

Dahanu taluka received the largest share, with Rs 7.98 crore distributed among 5,321 beneficiaries.

The remaining assistance has been distributed across Vasai, Palghar, Talasari and Wada, according to the official release.

Rs 9.99 crore for shopkeepers and street vendors

A further Rs 9.99 crore has been sanctioned for shopkeepers, stall owners and street vendors whose livelihoods were disrupted by the heavy rains, as per the PTI.

The allocation includes Vasai: Rs 5.025 crore, Dahanu: Rs 1.30 crore, Palghar: Rs 35.95 lakh and Talasari: Rs 5.50 lakh.

The financial assistance is intended to help local traders and livelihood earners recover from losses caused by the adverse weather.

Govt aims to ensure timely support

The Relief and Rehabilitation Department said the main objective of the package was to provide timely financial assistance to people affected by the natural disaster, the news agency reported.

The department said the support would help families, shopkeepers, stallholders and other livelihood earners recover more quickly from the impact of the heavy rains.

The officials were continuing to process and distribute the sanctioned assistance to eligible beneficiaries across the district.

Rs 5,000 cr credited to 6.22 lakh farmers: Fadnavis

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday said the state has begun transferring funds under the government”s loan waiver scheme, with more than Rs 5,000 crore credited to the bank accounts of 6.22 lakh farmers after completion of Aadhaar authentication, reported the PTI.

The funds are being transferred under the Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Farm Loan Waiver Scheme, launched earlier this year. Under the scheme, short-term crop loans of up to Rs 2 lakh of eligible farmers are waived. It covers loans taken between 2019 and 2025.

“The first list had around 16 lakh farmers. We sent it for field verification. After Aadhaar authentication, the first list of about 6.22 lakh farmers was finalised and more than Rs 5,000 crore have been deposited into their bank accounts today,” Fadnavis told reporters, according to the PTI.

He said all eligible farmers would receive the benefit as soon as their Aadhaar authentication is completed.

“Our preparations are complete. If we receive the authenticated data in one day, we can transfer the money in one day.

The only requirement is that every farmer completes Aadhaar authentication. Once that is done, the process is automatic and the amount is credited,” he said, the news agency reported.

(with PTI inputs)