Nagpur: Banks and credit societies must not send employees to farmers’ homes to recover crop loans amid the drought, revenue minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Tuesday, directing district collectors and police officials to ensure compliance.“No employee of a bank or credit society should go to a farmer’s doorstep for loan recovery during the drought,” Bawankule said in the statement issued to the media, while chairing a meeting of the drought relief cabinet subcommittee at Mantralaya.The BJP minister also asked chief secretary Rajesh Aggarwal to ascertain whether Reserve Bank of India would issue a circular on stopping loan recovery. He said the entire govt machinery, particularly talathis, gram sevaks and agriculture officers, should remain in their respective areas and closely monitor the situation.The meeting reviewed the drought situation across Maharashtra. According to information received from divisional commissioners, 265 talukas are facing drought conditions. While drought conditions have emerged under the ‘Trigger-1’ criteria, 43 talukas are facing conditions warranting ‘Trigger-2’ measures. Govt has been asked by the panel to issue the required GR without waiting for procedural delays for these and other affected areas.Although 96% of sowing has been completed, Vinita Ved Singhal, principal secretary, said the actual condition of crops on the ground remained a worry. A factual assessment has been ordered, with the final report to be submitted by Oct 25, officials said.Bawankule said farmers must receive all possible assistance during the drought and that their signatures had been obtained on each panchnama. He called for measures to manage shortages of fodder and water and to regulate water use from dams and lakes.The Kamptee MLA also indicated that restrictions could be imposed on large construction projects and said works involving cement roads or those likely to result in heavy consumption of water should be avoided. District collectors were asked to make maximum use of corporate social responsibility funds for drought-relief measures, including efforts to prevent the migration of agricultural labourers.
