Immediate survey for drought-hit areas, compensation as per rules: Bawankule

Areas of the state where rainfall failed and crops were damaged will be surveyed immediately. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has given clear instructions to the administration and the chief secretary on this. Revenue minister and Nagpur guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule shared this in a conversation with the media.

Bawankule is guardian minister for both Nagpur and Amravati districts. He said the chief minister gave these instructions at yesterday's cabinet meeting. In areas where crops have dried up due to insufficient rain, the revenue, agriculture and rural development departments will jointly conduct the survey. Once the survey is complete, farmers will be given assistance as fixed under the rules, he said.

On the incident at the Amravati hospital, Bawankule said action against the guilty will not stop now. The government had set up a ten-member committee to investigate, and its report has now come in. Those concerned have already been suspended after the initial inquiry, but the matter will not end there. He said the incident is being investigated in depth, down to its root cause. To ensure innocent lives are not lost in such incidents in future, the committee's recommendations will have to be implemented effectively across all hospitals in Maharashtra. The government is planning to further modernise and strengthen facilities and arrangements, especially at centres meant for newborns.

Asked about the High Court's remarks, Bawankule said the police will respond to the court's questions. The police have prepared a report after examining all aspects, and will present their position in line with the High Court's remarks. He said the investigation into the matter has been conducted impartially, and cases have been registered against two people. The government is also considering dismissing the officials concerned. The government is serious about government land too, and is thinking of taking concrete steps so that no government land falls into anyone's hands going forward.

On the camps being set up in Marathwada to distribute caste certificates, Bawankule said such camps have been held before, and the government has taken the initiative to distribute caste certificates. Holding camps to distribute certificates as per existing rules is government policy. On the OBC Mahasangh's demand, he said the demand has not yet reached them, and once it does, it will be placed before the OBC committee.

Responding to MLA Rohit Pawar's allegations over the cost of the Shaktipeeth expressway, Bawankule said that building a national highway is not just about laying the top layer; for a new road, soil, murum and all the rest of the work has to be done from the base up. Every road has a different standard and method of work, so their rates and budgets also differ. He said Rohit Pawar knows this too, but an attempt is being made to create a negative atmosphere in society. When the Shaktipeeth expressway is built, it will be built entirely afresh from the base to the top. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has prepared the budget and presentation with full caution, ensuring government and public money is not wasted. He expressed confidence that there will be no corruption of any kind in this project going forward, and that corruption will not be tolerated at all.

On the municipal corporation elections in Rajasthan, Bawankule said there were elections for ten municipal corporations there, where he worked as the in-charge. He claimed victory would be secured in all ten municipal corporations in Rajasthan. He said the success achieved so far in nagar panchayat and municipal council elections will be surpassed by an even bigger win on the 14th.