All-party delegation from Vidarbha meets PM, seeks Rs 5,000 crore aid

NEW DELHI: An all-party delegation from Vidarbha, hit by unprecedented heavy rains, today met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and sought an assistance of Rs 5,000 crore to tackle the massive losses.

The delegation comprising several senior Congress and NCP leaders, including Union Minister Praful Patel, AICC general secretary Mukul Wasnik, former general secretary Vilas Muttemwar and PCC chief Manikrao Thakre, told the prime minister that the region has witnessed five times more rains this year.

The rains have not only affected the countryside but also cities like Nagpur and Chandrapur, Muttemwar said, adding that the Prime Minister was briefed about the heavy damage to life and property. He said Rs 5,000 crore was sought from the Centre to tide over the situation.

The delegation also met Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who heads the high level committee on disaster management.

Pawar assured the delegation to send a central team to the region tomorrow itself to assess the situation.

Leaders present in the delegation also included Vijay Darda, Datta Meghe, Sanjay Dhotre and Maharashtra minister Nitin Raut and MLA Dinanath Patole.