The UPA II government in a desperate bid to woo the people in Maharashtra, has announced a special relief package of Rs 1,207 crore for the drought-hit areas in the state. An Empowered Group of Ministers (EGoM) on drought headed by Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar took the decision.

Out of Rs 1,207 crore, Rs 807 crore will be released under the National Disaster Relief Fund to 3,905 villages in Maharashtra for the Rabi crop farmers. The remaining Rs 400 crore will be released under the National Horticulture Mission to 1,100 villages, where kharif crops have been hit. A package has been approved for Kerala too.

Solapur, Ahmednagar, Sangli, Pune, Satara, Beed and Nashik are worst affected by the drought situation. Several other districts, including Latur, Osmanabad, Nanded, Aurangabad, Jalna, Jalgaon and Dhule are also facing drought-like situation.