Maharashtra: Uddhav Thackeray to meet Governor on drought issue

MUMBAI: Shiv Sena today said that its leader Uddhav Thackeray will meet Maharashtra Governor C Vidyasagar Rao tomorrow and request him to direct the state government to declare Marathwada and Vidarbha as drought-hit as the government was not making such announcement.

"According to Article 371 (2) of the Constitution, the responsibility for the Marathwada and Vidarbha regions lies with the Governor. Therefore, he has the power to direct the state government to declare both these regions as drought-hit," Shiv Sena MLC Diwakar Raote told reporters here.

"Uddhav Thackeray will meet the Governor tomorrow and request him to invoke his powers."

Raote said both regions were facing severe water scarcity and the situation was worse than the 1972 drought.

"The farmers need urgent help. They need to be brought out of the suicide-prone mindset they have developed. The state needs to take serious measures ranging from assisting the school-going children to providing fodder," he said.