Nagpur: Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis will celebrate Diwali with drought-hit farmers at Lohari Sawanga village in Narkhed taluka of Nagpur district on Saturday, in an effort to boost the morale of the farming community grappling with an agrarian crisis.Fadnavis will leave Nagpur on Saturday evening and spend the night in the village, interacting with farmers and their families. He is expected to discuss issues concerning agriculture, including irrigation facilities, crop insurance, water availability and other local problems.The visit assumes significance in the backdrop of the severe drought-like situation in the state, which has affected agricultural activities and pushed several farming families into financial distress. Through the initiative, Fadnavis intends to convey that the government stands firmly with farmers during difficult times and that they are not alone in facing the crisis.On Sunday morning, the chief minister is scheduled to hold a meeting with elected representatives from Narkhed taluka to discuss local issues. During his return journey, he is also likely to stop at a few villages to inspect agricultural fields and review ongoing water conservation works.Fadnavis had earlier appealed to all ministers in the state cabinet to spend at least one day during Diwali with farmers in a village. He said the initiative would help ministers understand the difficulties faced by farming families, share their joys and sorrows and provide them emotional support.He had also emphasised that farmers’ distress affects not just agricultural households but the entire rural economy, and called for collective efforts by the government, people’s representatives, social organisations and citizens to extend relief.
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