Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar.
Credit: X/@OfficeOfVW
Mumbai: Congress Legislature Party leader Vijay Wadettiwar on Wednesday demanded that compensation to the families of farmers killed in lightning strikes in Maharashtra be increased to Rs 10 lakh from the current Rs 4 lakh.
In response, state minister Girish Mahajan said in the assembly that the the government will consider the suggestion to increase the compensation and he will discuss the matter with the chief minister.
According to the minister, 236 persons died due to lightning strikes in 2022, while 181 such deaths were reported in 2023.
Raising the issue during the Question Hour in the state assembly, Wadettiwar said lightning strikes often lead to the deaths of poor farmers and labourers working in fields, leaving their families devastated and without any support.
"At present, only Rs 4 lakh is given as compensation, which is grossly inadequate. When a person dies in a tiger attack, the government provides Rs 25 lakh. Why this discrimination when someone dies due to a natural calamity like lightning?" he asked.
Responding to the demand, Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan said until recently, deaths caused by lightning were not covered under the state's disaster relief framework.
"Now these have been included, and the government will consider the suggestion to increase the compensation. I will discuss the matter with the chief minister," Mahajan assured.
The issue of adequate compensation for climate-related fatalities is gaining traction amid rising incidents of extreme weather events across the state.
Mahajan informed the House that two mobile applications, Damini and Sachet, developed by a central government institute, are currently being used to warn people about lightning strikes.
A new app is under development to provide hyperlocal alerts with a range of up to 400 metres, he added.
"Currently, the apps provide lightning alerts within a 400 km radius. The new technology aims to significantly narrow this window for better real-time safety," Mahajan said in response to a question by MLA Santosh Danve.
Supplementary questions were posed by Bhaskar Jadhav, Vijay Wadettiwar and Sameer Kunawar.
The session highlighted growing concerns over natural disaster preparedness and the need for transparency in farmer-centric schemes.