-The Times of India NEW DELHI: Farmers in UP's Bundelkhand region will get Drought assistance directly into their bank accounts within a week, with the Samajwadi party government set to disburse Rs 1,304 crore out of its Drought-assistance kitty given to it by the Centre. The decision was taken during a review meeting on the Drought-affected Bundelkhand region by the Prime Minister's Office on Saturday. A provision to extend man-days from 100...

-The Times of India MUMBAI: Unwilling to take any chances with rainfall this year, the Maharashtra government plans to undertake cloud-seeding in parts of the state at the start of monsoon, especially over water supply schemes that provide water to the parched Marathwada region. The experiment was conducted last year between August and November, but officials say the project wasn't very effective as there weren't enough moisture-laden clouds and it was only...

-The Hindu Mumbai: Accusing Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis of ignoring his warnings on the severity of the Drought impacting Marathawada, where the local police had to invoke Section 144 to prevent violence over water, Swaraj Abhiyan leader Yogendra Yadav on Saturday said 31 per cent of the gram panchayats in Drought-affected districts had not shown any expenditure under MGNREGS, according to official data, till March 31. Mr. Yadav said his organisation...

-Business Standard 2,170 million person-days planned for FY17, compared with 2,391 million person-days last year At a time when nearly half of India's 676 districts are grappling with a second consecutive year of Drought, the government expects a decline in the demand for work under the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in 2016-17. The estimated number of days when people in rural India will be offered work under MGNREGS...

-FirstPost.com Aurangabad/Latur: In recent times, the Drought in Marathwada has been reported, discussed and debated, but all from a safe distance. News reports, television debates, social media commentary and even judicial pronouncements have been made regarding the situation. Firstpost reporters spent a fortnight travelling through the arid region and witnessed the devastating social, political and ecological impact of three years of Drought. It’s not just the local economy, agriculture and rural structures...