Nagpur: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Sunday, November 8, allowed farmers to use borewells until December 15 to save their fruit-bearing trees, relaxing an earlier restriction as drought tightens its hold on the region. He announced the step on the second day of his Diwali visit to Lohari Sawanga village in Narkhed, Nagpur district, where he stayed overnight at the home of small farmers Rambhau Balpande and Arunabai Balpande.

Source: PTI via Swadesi

Fadnavis said the immediate priority is to save orchards, because a fruit tree that dies for lack of water takes years to replace. "If fruit trees that have been growing for years die due to lack of water, planting new ones and bringing them to fruition would take anywhere between seven and 12 years. Therefore, our immediate priority is to save these trees," he said, according to PTI.

The chief minister said discussions with farmers on Saturday and with sarpanches on Sunday had brought drinking water, irrigation and veterinary dispensaries for livestock into sharp focus. "The state government will take prompt action on all these matters," he assured, PTI reported.

In a separate account of the visit, ANI reported that Fadnavis also outlined plans for a major processing facility for oranges and sweet limes through the MIHAN project in Nagpur, saying the Katol and Narkhed belts produce large quantities of both fruits and that new international challenges to exports are causing losses for farmers.

Source: ANI via New Kerala

Fadnavis said, according to ANI, that the government has deposited Rs 5,000 into the bank accounts of around 1.5 crore farmers to help them celebrate Diwali, and that the process of depositing the money is still underway. He said the state government is standing firmly by farmers in a year when, in his words, the rains remained elusive, crops were damaged and shortages of fodder and drinking water emerged in some parts.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the overnight stay, saying on X that spending Diwali with farmers in Lohari Sawanga and staying at the Balpande home underlined the compassion with which the NDA government in Maharashtra is working for farmers, ANI reported. What happens next is administrative: whether the borewell permission and the promised action on water, irrigation and livestock facilities are issued as formal orders for the affected villages.