Sunetra Pawar’s Bhaubeej With Baramati’s Drought-Hit Farmers

Her message was simple: farmers should not lose hope, and the state government stands firmly with them during the drought. Along with immediate relief, she said, the government will plan long-term solutions for drinking water, farm water and livestock fodder.

Relief from several schemes at once

Pawar asked the families whether they had received the government's Rs 5,000 advance assistance for Diwali. The farmers said they had. They also said they had received loan waivers and Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi payments, and that support from these different schemes had given them a lot of relief in a hard season.

Fodder was the main concern of the visit. Pawar said fodder is available in the district for now, but farmers should start growing more fodder crops now in case of shortages later. To show the scheme was already running, she handed free fodder seeds to Sahebrao Galande and Janabai Sonwalkar herself.

For the longer term, she said efforts will be made to permanently solve the region's drinking-water problem by completing the Supe Sat Gaon Water Supply Scheme.

A promise that carries personal weight

The visit also had an emotional side. Baramati is the Pawar family's political home, and it is where her husband, Ajit Pawar, who held the Deputy Chief Minister's post as well as the finance portfolio in the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP 'Mahayuti' government, died in an air crash in Baramati on January 28. Sunetra Pawar then stepped in to fill the post that fell vacant following Ajit Pawar's death, becoming Maharashtra's first woman Deputy Chief Minister.

That history explains why her words in Murti stood out. "Ajitdada had envisioned many development goals for Baramati taluka, and all these dreams will be fulfilled collectively. Whether it is the water crisis or basic infrastructure in villages, all issues will be resolved in a planned manner," she said. She added that rural needs and farmers' problems will get priority.

At Sonwalkarvasti, she honoured young skater Shivam Nalawade for his wins at skating competitions in Indonesia and Dehradun. She said talented athletes from rural areas need encouragement.

Field checks in Jogwadi and Ambi

Pawar then inspected fields in Jogwadi and checked drinking water, fodder and irrigation supplies with residents. She said water from the Purandar scheme had been released for the area and would reach its target locations within a few hours. In Ambi, she met a farmer's family and local residents. When villagers asked for a speed breaker at Ambi Phata, she told officials to act quickly.

Why it matters

Drought relief often stops at short-term measures like tankers and one-time payments. This visit put fodder security and a permanent water-supply project at the centre. Whether the Supe Sat Gaon scheme is actually finished will show if the promises made on Bhaubeej turn into lasting relief for Baramati's dry villages.

With inputs from IANS