Sharad Pawar urges Fadnavis to declare drought in Maharashtra, seeks immediate relief for farmers

Mumbai, Sep 18 (UNI) Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar has urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to immediately declare drought in the drought-hit parts of the state and implement a comprehensive relief package without waiting for the completion of formal assessment procedures. In a letter to Fadnavis, Pawar expressed concern over the prolonged rainfall deficit across large parts of Maharashtra, saying the situation had severely affected kharif crops and could lead to a worsening crisis of drinking water, fodder and agricultural livelihoods. Pawar said that only 748 mm of rainfall had been recorded in the state between…