Maharashtra Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Wednesday released an official letter to counter allegations that the state government failed to seek central assistance for recent flood damage. The move came after Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Member of Parliament Omraje Nimbalkar claimed that Maharashtra had not submitted the mandatory crop damage report to secure financial support from the Union government.
Nimbalkar had earlier spoken to a regional news channel, stating that a reply he received in the Lok Sabha suggested the state had not sent a flood loss assessment. “If the state maintains it has already submitted the proposal, then why does the official response say otherwise? Farmers deserve transparency,” he said.
Responding to this, Bawankule made public a letter dated November 27, addressed to Rajesh Gupta, Joint Secretary (Disaster Management) at the National Disaster Management Authority in New Delhi. The document shows that Maharashtra officially sought funds under the National Disaster Response Fund and attached a detailed memorandum outlining losses caused by floods between June and September this year.
According to the memorandum, the state experienced exceptionally severe flooding due to erratic rainfall, flash floods, river overflow and breached embankments. Areas in Marathwada, Vidarbha, Konkan and Western Maharashtra were identified as the most affected regions.
The assessment recorded widespread destruction of crops, livestock, homes, rural infrastructure, roads, bridges and public utilities. Essential services such as electricity, transport and water supply were also disrupted. The report noted that the scale of devastation had gone beyond the financial capacity of the State Disaster Response Fund.
The document further mentioned that an Inter-Ministerial Central Team visited affected districts between November 3 and 5 to conduct field verification. The memorandum was finalised after the district administrations submitted their damage estimates.
Signed by Vinita Vaid Singal, principal secretary of the Relief and Rehabilitation Department, the letter requested the Ministry of Home Affairs to process the proposal without delay. Copies of the correspondence were shared with senior state officials, including the chief secretary and secretaries to several key ministries.
In September, the Maharashtra government announced a relief package of Rs 31,628 crore for farmers affected by floods in August and September, which destroyed crops across 68.7 lakh hectares in 29 districts. The Centre had earlier released Rs 1,566.40 crore as interim relief.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had stated that the relief package was intended to help farmers restart agricultural activities, even if the assistance did not cover the full extent of losses. On October 29, the state cabinet approved an immediate disbursal of Rs 11,000 crore directly into farmers’ bank accounts.