The Mira-Bhayandar Municipal Corporation has decided to contribute Rs 1 crore to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund for farmers affected by drought in different parts of Maharashtra, Mayor Dimple Mehta said on September 28.
The decision was taken in response to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s appeal for assistance to drought-affected farmers. The municipal corporation also urged developers, entrepreneurs, traders, social organisations, community groups and residents of the city to contribute to relief efforts.
According to the report, drought conditions in several parts of the state have left farmers and rural residents facing water shortages, a lack of fodder for livestock, difficulties in accessing foodgrains, financial pressure on agriculture and reduced employment opportunities. The corporation’s proposed contribution is intended to support relief through the state-managed fund.
The announcement places a municipal corporation from an urban region in a wider state response to rural distress. Mira-Bhayandar’s civic administration said that assistance collected through the Mayor’s Relief Fund would be handed over to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund. The report did not specify when the Rs 1 crore would be transferred or identify the budgetary head from which the contribution would be made.
Mehta also appealed to elected representatives, corporators and office-bearers of different political parties in the city to support the initiative. She urged corporators to donate one month’s honorarium towards assistance for drought-affected farmers. The appeal extends the proposed relief effort beyond the corporation’s institutional contribution to individual public representatives and civic stakeholders.
The decision was discussed in a meeting attended by Municipal Commissioner Radha Binod Sharma, Deputy Mayor Dhruvkishor Patil, House Leader Ravi Vyas, Leader of the Opposition Afreen Sayyed Hussain, group leader Jay Thakur and concerned officials, according to the report.
The announcement comes as drought-related needs are being described in terms that extend beyond crop losses. Water availability, livestock care, food security and employment are all part of the relief challenge identified by the civic administration. The corporation’s appeal asks urban residents and local businesses to respond to those needs through contributions to the relief mechanism.
The next steps identified by the municipal administration are the transfer of the civic contribution to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, the collection of additional assistance through the Mayor’s Relief Fund and outreach to corporators and other city stakeholders. The report does not provide further details on the districts or talukas expected to receive the assistance.
