Govt allots Rs 1,500 cr for aid to Marathwada farmers hit by heavy rains from May to Aug
Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (PTI): The Maharashtra government has allotted Rs 1,500 crore for disbursal of aid to farmers, who suffered crop losses due to heavy rains between May and August this year in the Marathwada region of the state, a senior official said.
Notably, most parts of the Marathwada region, comprising eight districts, witnessed torrential rains and flooding recently, and the work of assessing crop losses is currently underway.
"The state government has disbursed Rs 1,500 crore to provide compensation to the farmers who faced crop losses from May to August in Marathwada. The process to pay the amount has begun and the money will directly go into the accounts of the affected farmers," Divisional Commissioner Jitendra Papalkar told PTI on Friday.
Instructions have been given to the officials to upload the lists (of affected farmers) immediately, he said.
Heavy rains and swollen rivers have caused large-scale damage in Marathwada since September 20, claiming at least nine lives. Flooding destroyed crops on lakhs of acres in parts of the state, especially the Marathwada region.
"There is an alert of more rain in the region for the next three to four days. Therefore, we have informed the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and its state counterpart SDRF to remain on standby. Eighty per survey of the crop losses is over now," Papalkar said.
The state is also giving priority to providing financial assistance to the family members of those who lost their lives in the recent floods, he said.
Apart from the crop losses, the region has suffered infrastructure-related losses, the official said.
"We are carrying out the assessment work. At present, our priority is to help the kin of those who have lost lives, lost their animals and houses due to the rains last week, apart from giving compensation to farmers," he added.
The Marathwada region in the central part of the state comprises Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Latur, Parbhani, Nanded, Hingoli, Beed and Dharashiv districts.
Rain-related incidents have claimed the lives of 86 persons across eight districts of the Marathwada region in Maharashtra so far during the ongoing monsoon season, officials have said.
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UP Cong holds statewide protest seeking probe into FIR against Swami Avimukteshwaranand
Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh Congress on Wednesday staged a statewide protest demanding a fair and transparent inquiry into the FIR lodged against Swami Avimukteshwaranand Saraswati and those who filed the complaint against him.
In a statement issued here, the party said memorandums addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi were submitted through district magistrates in all districts of the state.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Manish Hindvi told PTI that the memorandums were handed over through the district administration in all 75 districts.
In the memorandum, the party alleged that Saraswati and his disciples were "unnecessarily harassed and humiliated" by police on the occasion of Amavasya and were prevented from taking a ritual bath (at the Magh Mela). It further alleged that some disciples were manhandled and taken to a police station.
The memorandum also claimed that an FIR was later registered against Saraswati, his disciple Swami Mukundanand Brahmachari and several unidentified persons in a sexual harassment case. It termed the case a "conspiracy" aimed at tarnishing the seer's reputation.
Citing Articles 25 and 26 of the Constitution, the memorandum stated that these provisions guarantee religious freedom and the right of religious denominations to manage their own affairs.
It described the position of shankaracharya held by Saraswati as "one of the highest spiritual posts in Sanatan tradition" and alleged that the entire episode appeared to have been "orchestrated in a planned manner".
"We request that the background of the persons who got the FIR registered be investigated in a transparent manner by a retired high court judge and strict action be taken against them," the memorandum said.
It also sought a "fair and transparent probe" into the allegations levelled against Saraswati so that the truth could be established.
Earlier, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai had told reporters in Varanasi after meeting Saraswati that the party stood firmly with him.
The Congress said it would continue to press for an impartial inquiry into the entire episode.
On February 21, an FIR was lodged in Prayagraj against Saraswati and his disciple Mukundanand Brahmachari on charges of sexually abusing two persons, including a minor, over the past year at a gurukul and religious congregations, including the recently concluded Magh Mela.
Days after he was booked, Saraswati had said on Monday that he would not oppose his arrest and asserted that the "fabricated story" would be exposed sooner or later.
At a press conference on Wednesday, Saraswati alleged that criminals rule in Uttar Pradesh, level allegations and influence investigations, as he denied having any contact with the two persons for whose alleged sexual abuse he has been booked.
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