Sharad Pawar meets Narendra Modi, drought in Maharashtra discussed

NEW DELHI: NCP chief and former Union Minister Sharad Pawar today met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here and discussed the drought situation, particularly in his home state of Maharashtra.

"The drought situation, particularly in the state of Maharashtra, came up for discussion during the meeting," a PMO statement said.

Maharashtra, where 80 per cent of cultivable land is rain-fed, has been reporting more drought-affected areas than any other state for the last four years, according to state government data.

In the state, farmland covering 31.11 lakh hectares was affected by drought during 2011-12 and in 2012-13 it reached 48.29 lakh hectares. In the last financial year, 68.04 lakh hectares were declared drought-hit.