Pune: Deputy chief minister Eknath Shinde said on Saturday that the Maharashtra govt was serious about the flood situation and the losses faced by farmers, stressing that appropriate decisions would be taken in favour of the farmers at the state cabinet meeting. “It is time to extend help to farmers, stand in their support, and not to do politics,” Shinde said while speaking to media persons in Pune after attending the launch of BSNL’s 4G services along with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.Shinde said that he, along with Fadnavis and DCM Ajit Pawar, visited the flood-hit areas of Marathwada, central, and western Maharashtra. ‘The losses are huge. The govt is working on various options. Some conditions and criteria will be reworked while extending assistance. There are attempts to extend help to the affected farmers before Diwali,’ Shinde said.He said that as of now, the govt was extending immediate assistance against damages to houses and cattle sheds. “Panchamanas of crop damages were underway. The losses were being ascertained. The govt will take a decision to extend maximum assistance to the affected farmers,” he said. Shinde said that the govt has also sought support from the Centre. The deputy CM said he had held discussions with Union home minister Amit Shah during his visit to Mumbai. A letter has been handed over to Shah to extend assistance, Shinde said. Fadnavis, during his recent Delhi tour, had held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the flood situation in the state. The Centre has extended help whenever the state has faced critical situations, Shinde said.Fadnavis said that the govt was providing about 1,100 services from various departments online, and these services were also being made available on WhatsApp. A system is being established to access services on mobile, and therefore people will not have to visit the govt office. To offer seamless online services, every village will require good connectivity and a 4G network. The services are also being digitised, which will help monitor the progress and status of applications. Fadnavis said that of the 92,633 BSNL towers commissioned across the country, about 9,020 have come up in Maharashtra.
