Mumbai, March 17 (NationPress) The Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Devendra Fadnavis, emphasized on Tuesday the government's dedication to assisting the beleaguered mango and cashew farmers of the Konkan region. A relief package is set to be unveiled in the legislature before the current budget session concludes.

During a meeting at Vidhan Bhavan, the Chief Minister noted that mangoes and cashew nuts are integral to the identity of Konkan. Recent issues, such as blossom shedding (mohal), have caused considerable damage to these essential fruit crops.

He pointed out that the latest data underscores the severity of the crop losses.

The government plans to review previous relief strategies and collaborate with Deputy Chief Ministers, the Agriculture Minister, and representatives from Konkan to finalize the assistance.

Vikas Chandra Rastogi, the Additional Chief Secretary for Agriculture, provided a comprehensive report detailing the extent of the damage.

Additionally, Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne instructed relevant agencies to ensure coordination and offer training, technical support, and necessary facilities to beneficiaries, particularly from the Dhangar community, as part of the Semi-Stall Fed Sheep Rearing Project under the ‘Nanaji Deshmukh Krishi Sanjivani (PoCRA)’ scheme.

Various strategies were discussed during the meeting to ensure the project's effective implementation.

These strategies include establishing shepherd groups or Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), creating a robust marketing system to avoid fraud in sheep sales, providing healthcare and insurance coverage, and setting up Common Facility Centres for processing in each district, which will be managed by shepherd groups. Additionally, proposals will be formulated to ensure that land owned by the Forest Department or other government fallow lands is made available for grazing in an organized manner.

Earlier in the day, the Maharashtra government successfully passed a Bill in the Legislative Assembly aimed at repealing 80 outdated acts and laws, marking a substantial move toward enhancing good governance and refining administrative processes.

The Maharashtra Repealing Bill, 2026 (Assembly Bill No. 17), introduced by Minister of General Administration Ashish Shelar, seeks to eliminate obsolete Acts within the state.

After extensive discussions, the Bill received approval from the House.

Minister Shelar articulated the government's position, stating that due to constitutional reforms, state reorganization, and the introduction of new laws, many existing Acts in Maharashtra had become irrelevant.

He remarked that maintaining references to such outdated laws was leading to confusion in governance.