Nagpur: Revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on Saturday said a cabinet sub-committee headed by him would oversee drafting of accurate panchnamas and monitor drought relief in 265 talukas declared drought-hit under Trigger-1.Talking to reporters in Nagpur, Bawankule said the survey methodology will strictly follow laid-down protocols so that nobody can raise objections. “Our agriculture officer, talathi and gram sevak will do a joint panchnama in front of the farmer, place it before the gram sabha, and if anything has been missed, the gram sabha will add it. Hence, right from step one we will ensure our panchnamas are error-free,” said Bawankule.The senior minister credited CM Devendra Fadnavis for the latest decision. “CM had given his word to farmers on providing relief and he kept it. I am proud the CM toured Marathwada and Vidarbha, understood the crisis faced by farmers, went to their fields, heard out each farmer and the moment he returned to the secretariat, took a firm decision,” said Bawankule.On the 265-taluka list, the minister said the sub-committee retained authority to respond to changing conditions, hinting that the list can be expanded. “This is a preliminary govt decision. If a taluka tomorrow falls into a different trigger category, it can be added. The cabinet has empowered the sub-committee and the CM has given me the authority to make changes. Whatever needs to be done for our farmers, we will do,” he said.On water conservation, Bawankule said, “Govt has also decided to bring all water bodies across the state, on the lines of Jalyukt Shivar, back into water conservation use. The state’s priority now is farmers and farm labourers, so infrastructure development can wait.” He added these were not just random statements but decisions being implemented. Bawankule said, “I told district collectors of Nagpur and Amravati that not a single cement road will be built this year from DPC funds. All money has been diverted to water conservation and drinking water. The groundwater level has gone down 800 feet. We need recharge shafts. There are 6,500 to 7,000 water bodies in every district; all of them must be strengthened.”
