MUMBAI: Babanroa Lonikar, Maharashtra Water Resources and Sanitation Minister, said that the state government will focus its efforts primarily on cleaning 350 of the worst flood affected villages. The decision was made during a meeting to review the damage caused by the floods in Kolhapur and Sangli regions. Of the 353 villages, 205 are located in Kolhapur, 101 in Sangli and 47 in Satara, where work will be taken up on war footing.
Lonikar said that the State will fetch over Rs 5 crore from the Swachh Bharat Mission scheme to clean the selected villages. “We will disburse Rs 50,000 to villages with population of 1,000 and Rs 1,00,000 for villages of population over 1,000 under the Swachch Bharat Mission-Gramin,” Lonikar added.
The Government of Maharashtra has also set aside Rs 75 crore for health-related initiatives in affected areas. Another Rs 70 crore have been allocated for cleaning, Rs 30 crore to compensate for loss of livestock, and Rs 27 crore for providing food and medicines.