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Business News/ Politics / Policy/  Maharashtra to seek World Bank loan for drought mitigation work
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Maharashtra to seek World Bank loan for drought mitigation work

The government will soon submit a proposal to the World Bank through the Centre to this effect, says Devendra Fadnavis

A file photo of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Photo: Mint Premium
A file photo of Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis. Photo: Mint

Mumbai: The Maharashtra government will seek a World Bank loan of 5,000 crore for drought mitigation work in select districts of Marathwada and Vidarbha, said chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday. Fadnavis said the government will soon submit a proposal to the World Bank through the Centre to this effect.

The state government has declared drought in 27,723 villages of the 43,000 villages in the state. The drought is particularly severe in eight districts that comprise Marathwada—Aurangabad, Latur, Beed, Osmanabad, Parbhani, Hingoli, Nanded and Jalna. If the World Bank sanctions the loan, drought mitigation work would be carried out in Aurangabad, Beed, Latur and Osmanabad in Marathwada, and Akola, Buldana and Amravati districts in Vidarbha.

Fadnavis did not respond to a specific question on whether or not the World Bank had been approached before for loans to carry drought mitigation work.

Earlier this month, the state government declared drought in 11,962 villages of Vidarbha, adding to the 15,761 villages already on the drought list.

Fadnavis said the state government was seeking the World Bank loan for implementing drought-mitigation steps, including water conservation and changes in the crop pattern. He said the government would submit a proposal to the ministry of external affairs, as per the instructions of the World Bank, and a meeting was held between officials of both sides when the Maharashtra legislature was in budget session.

“We have requested World Bank officials to help us tackle drought from the specific fund they have created for drought mitigation," Fadnavis told reporters. The chief minister said normally the process to submit a proposal and get disbursement of loan takes around one and a half years, but he has requested World Bank officials to consider the state’s proposal at the earliest.

“The World Bank will support 3,000 villages from Marathwada and 2,000 from Vidarbha to make them drought-free. We will focus on water conservation works and later decide the crop pattern of drought-prone regions," Fadnavis said.

Water levels in reservoirs in Marathwada have dropped to 3% of their live storage capacity. According to the 15 April update released by the state’s water resources department, Maharashtra’s 2,559 major, medium and minor dams have only 19% live storage of their capacity. On 15 April 2015 and 2014, this capacity was 32% and 38%, respectively.

In Marathwada’s 814 major, medium and minor dams, only 3% live storage is available, according to this update. In the corresponding period in 2015 and 2014, dams in Marathwada had 11% and 30% of their storage capacity, respectively. In Nagpur and Amravati divisions of the state, which account for the 11 districts of Vidarbha, dams have 26% and 18% capacity, respectively, as against 27% and 30% on 15 April 2015.

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Published: 26 Apr 2016, 09:42 AM IST
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