- Union Home Minister Amit Shah assured no delay in aid once Maharashtra submits flood report
- Maharashtra CM and deputies met Shah; detailed report awaited for Central relief
- Opposition criticised Centre's delay, contrasting it with swift Rs 10,000 crore sanction for Bihar
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is in Maharashtra's Ahilyanagar for a series of cooperative sector events, assured that the Centre will not delay assistance to flood-affected farmers once the state government submits its report.
"Yesterday, the Maharashtra Chief Minister and the two Deputy Chief Ministers met me. I assured them that the state government should send us a detailed report, and the Centre will not delay the help," Shah said.
His remarks come amid Opposition allegations about the Centre's delay in extending relief.
The Uddhav Thackeray faction of Shiv Sena recently pointed out that while the Centre promptly sanctioned over Rs 10,000 crore to benefit more than 75,000 women in Bihar ahead of the assembly elections, Maharashtra continues to wait for similar urgency.
After touring the flood-hit areas in Marathwada, the Chief Minister had met Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss a relief proposal, but Shah's statement indicates that the report is yet to be sent.
NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar also urged the state to expedite the process. "The government is yet to give a final proposal. I would urge the state government to do so within the next two days," he said.
As part of his Maharashtra visit, Shah was scheduled to travel to Loni's Pravaranagar to unveil life-size statues of veteran cooperative leaders Padma Shri Vithalrao Vikhe Patil and Padma Bhushan Balasaheb Vikhe Patil, where he addressed a gathering.
Later in the day, he will inaugurate the country's first cooperative Compressed Biogas (CBG) plant in Kopargaon, along with a spray dryer and potash granule manufacturing unit, before addressing a farmers' and cooperative rally.
This marks Shah's first visit to the region since the unprecedented rainfall in Marathwada, where farmers continue to await consolidated relief from the Centre.
