Maharashtra Minister Donates Salary to Drought Relief Efforts, Calls for Corporate Support
Maharashtras Ramdas Athawale donates his salary for drought relief and urges corporate leaders to contribute.
Mumbai, November 13 (Daily Kiran) : Central Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Ramdas Athawale has pledged to donate his one-month salary to the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund to support those affected by drought in Maharashtra. He has also urged business leaders and senior government officials to extend their assistance.
Athawale highlighted the severe drought conditions in Maharashtra, which have led to significant hardships for the local population. He called on corporate executives and officials to contribute one month’s salary towards relief efforts for drought-stricken communities.
He announced that he would soon present a check of approximately ₹200,000 to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Athawale noted that the Chief Minister has implemented various plans to provide relief to those impacted by the drought.
The Republican Party of India, led by Athawale, has already dispatched relief materials to the affected regions of Marathwada. Under the initiative of party treasurer M.S. Nanda and Maharashtra Youth Front President Pappu Kagde, at least ten trucks carrying food and essential items have been distributed to drought-affected areas.
Athawale expressed hope that with the collaboration of various societal sectors, the corporate world, and public representatives, efforts to aid those suffering from the drought would be strengthened.
In a related event, reality show winner Shehzad Poonawala recently met with Chief Minister Fadnavis to present his trophy. He announced that he would donate his entire prize money of ₹3.5 million for drought relief in Maharashtra, as well as flood relief efforts in Assam and Bihar.
Maharashtra has faced a significant drought this year due to below-average rainfall. The state government has declared 305 out of 358 talukas as drought-affected, covering over 85% of the state’s geographical area. During the 2026 southwest monsoon, the state recorded only 804.4 mm of rainfall, nearly 19% less than the normal 994.5 mm.
The Marathwada region has been hit hardest, experiencing a 38% drop in rainfall. Following that, Vidarbha faced a 27% deficit. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division reported the highest number of drought-affected talukas at 76, while Amravati had 56, Nashik 52, Nagpur 52, and Pune 51. Over 800,000 farmers have been impacted, suffering significant losses to soybean and cotton crops.
