Mumbai, August 19: Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis announced relief for flood-affected farmers in Maharashtra and announced that loans on flood-affected crops, up to 1 hectare, will be waived or paid by the state government. Those who have not taken loans, will be compensated with "triple the amount of normal compensation for the crops," added the chief minister. Fadnavis made the announcement while addressing a press conference in Mumbai. Maharashtra Rains: Three Kolhapur Villages with 7, 000 People Cut Off Completely.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also said that houses damaged due to floods because of torrential rains in the state will be re-built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana. A number of houses were destroyed in Kolhapur, Sangli and Pune belt after floods wrecked havoc. Pune Floods: Pune-Bengaluru Highway Closed For Traffic Due to Waterlogging, Schools And Colleges Shut For Second Day As IMD Predicts Heavy Rains.

“Houses damaged due to floods will be re-built under the Pradhanmantri Awas Yojna. We will provide financial help of Rs 24,000 for rented accommodation in rural areas and Rs 36,000 in urban areas," promised Fadnavis. Maharashtra Rains: Pune DC Announces Closure of Schools, Colleges on Monday; Nasik City Admin Issue Similar Orders.

CM Fadnavis also said that he will request Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to extend the date for filing Income Tax and GST returns.

Read Fadnavis' Announcement in the Tweet Below

Meanwhile, the state Cabinet announced Rs 6,813 crore assistance for the flood-hit people, out of which Rs 4,708 crore was allocated to Kolhapur, Sangli and Satara and Rs 2,105 crore for Konkan region, Nashik and rest of the affected districts. As per the statement from the Divisional Commissioner’s office in Pune, at least 4,74,226 people have been rescued from 584 villages and evacuated to 596 temporary shelters in Pune, Sangli, Kolhapur, Satara and Solapur districts, reported ANI.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 19, 2019 06:57 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).