Maharashtra chief secy writes to Centre over aid for farmers

The chief secretary of Maharashtra, which is under President's rule, has written a letter to the Centre seeking immediate disbursement of Rs 5,000 crore for farmers hit by untimely showers during Diwali, a senior official said on Wednesday.

The top bureaucrat, in his letter, has sought amendment in the Contingency Fund Act related to the state to raise the upper limit in financial assistance to deal with such situations, he said.

"The current upper limit for fund disbursement under the Maharashtra Contingency Fund Act is Rs 150 crore. Due to untimely showers that damaged crops, the state wants to disburse Rs 5,000 crore to farmers as immediate assistance, the officer told PTI.

"As the state is under Presidents rule, all the powers of the state assembly are now vested in Parliament which is currently in session.

"The office of Maharashtra's chief secretary has written to the Centre to change the amount from Rs 150 crore to Rs 5,000 crore, he said.

Any change in the Act will be only for disbursement of funds to farmers who lost crops due to unseasonal showers, said the official.