Visit drought-hit areas, not just talk about it in rallies, Patil advises Raj

Criticising Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray's state wide rally on drought, State Rural Development Minister Jayant Patil on Tuesday said that the MNS chief should visit the affected areas to understand the ground realities instead of addressing public rallies on drought.

Patil was speaking at the inauguration of Dakkan Jathra, a seven-day exhibition displaying products made by women self help groups (SHG) of five districts, at New Agriculture College Ground.

"Instead of addressing public rallies on drought, Raj should reach out to drought-affected villages to understand the ground realities. Government is providing relief to these areas by providing drinking water and setting up fodder centers," said Patil. He appealed to political parties not to politicise drought and sought help to work together to address the issue.

All praise for the women SHGs in the state, Patil said, "SHGs should work throughout the year and not only for exhibitions. Women should strive to give quality products besides learning better packaging and marketing techniques to increase their income."

Emphasising on SHG's role in empowering women, Patil said an entire village can benefit from their managerial skills. "The village schools should also be monitored by SHG's for better functioning. The SHGs should also organise interactions between parents and teachers, which will help in better development of students," said Patil.

Zilla Parishad president Dattatray Bharne said that over Rs 11 crore have been allocated to ZP women and child development cell for the upliftment of women. "Of the 42,000 SHGs registered, only 25,000 are active today. We want more SHG's comprising women below poverty line to come up. Our aim to achieve financial independence of women," said Bharne. Around 37 SHGs from 13 talukas in Pune were awarded Rajmata Jijau Swawlamban Puraskar by Patil during the function.

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