Nagpur, Sep 11 (PTI) Maharashtra Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Vijay Wadettiwar on Saturday said approximately 17 lakh hectares of farm land have been affected by excessive rains and floods this year, which could be a record for the past 50 years, and the state government was taking all necessary steps to provide relief to those affected.

Also Read | Who Will Be The Next Gujarat Chief Minister? Here Is List of Probables Who May Succeed Vijay Rupani.

Speaking to reporters in Nagpur. he said the 17 lakh hectares that have been affected are spread over Marathwada, north Maharashtra, Konkan and a few districts of Vidarbha.

Also Read | Pune Shocker: Woman in Nurse Uniform Tries to Flee With Baby From Hospital; Caught by Mother.

"This (area) damage caused by rains, floods and cloudburst is a kind of a record for the past 50 years, This is just preliminary information and I have directed concerned district collectors to conduct panchnamas (assessment)," he said.

Wadettiwar said compensation of up to Rs 4 lakh each had been given to the kin of those who had died, while relief has been provided for damaged homes, and work was underway to provide compensation as per SDRF (State Disaster Response Fund) norms to farmers for crop damage.

"However, the compensation criteria as per SDRF norms have been same for the last six years, which is Rs 6,800 per hectare. We have requested the Central government to change these criteria and increase compensation for greater relief to farmers," Wadettiwar said.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)