Maharashtra declares over 20,000 villages 'scarcity-hit'

Sounding the first alarm bell of a tough summer ahead, the Maharashtra government Monday declared 20,240 kharif (monsoon crop) villages in the state as 'scarcity-hit'.

Of these 20,240, the maximum fall in the eastern Maharashtra region and the minimum in the coastal Konkan region, an official spokesperson said.

The scarcity-like situation is a direct fallout of the deficient rains experienced in monsoon 2009 in most parts of the state, including Mumbai, but barring the coastal Konkan region.

The region-wise statistics of the scarcity-hit villages include Konkan division (2 villages), Pune division (664), Nashik division (2,041), Aurangabad division (3,474), Nagpur division (6,818) and Amravati division (7,241).

The home district of Chief Minister Ashok Chavan - Nanded - tops the list in Aurangabad division with 1,573 scarcity-hit villages, while Yavatmal - the hotbed of farmland suicides in the state - tops the overall state list with 2,050 villages as scarcity-hit.

With the prospects of a drought looming over large parts of the state, the government said that that all the affected 20,240 Kharif villages shall be entitled to various facilities and concessions which shall be implemented soon.

There are a total 36,338 kharif villages in the state.
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