100-bed Sub-District Hospital inaugurated at Wadi Budruk in Nanded district
Fodder distribution for livestock of drought-affected farmers and water supply through tankers launched
Financial assistance cheques distributed to families of farmers who died by suicide
Sewing machines given to single women and bicycles distributed to girl students
Nanded, November 2026 : The state government will not abandon farmers amid the drought crisis and has decided to extend all possible assistance to them, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said on Sunday.
The Cabinet has decided to provide full support to farmers. An immediate assistance of Rs 5,000 is being provided before Diwali, and this is not the final relief package. Further assistance will also be extended, he said.
Shinde urged farmers not to lose hope or worry and appealed to them not to take any extreme steps under any circumstances. Assuring them of the government's support, he warned that strict action would be taken against anyone harassing farmers for loan recovery during the crisis.
He was speaking at the inauguration of a 100-bed sub-district hospital at Wadi Budruk in Nanded district.
State Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prakash Abitkar, former Chief Minister and MP Ashokrao Chavan, Balasaheb Thackeray Turmeric Research Centre Chairman and MLA Hemant Patil, MLAs Amarnath Rajurkar, Balaji Kalyankar, Baburao Kadam-Kohlikar, Pratap Patil Chikhlikar, Anand Tidke-Bondharkar, Bhimrao Keram and Jitesh Antapurkar, Mayor Kavita Mule, Special Inspector General of Police Shahaji Umap, District Collector Rahul Kardile, Zilla Parishad Chief Executive Officer Mahesh Patil, Superintendent of Police Dr Neelabh Rohan, Municipal Commissioner Dr Maheshkumar Doiphode and Commissioner and National Health Mission Director Sanjay Katkar, among others, were present.
Shinde said farmers were facing a difficult situation due to drought, but the entire state government stood firmly behind them. Recognising the severity of the crisis, the government had promptly declared drought and extended various concessions to farmers. He assured them that the government would continue to support them and urged them to remain patient.
Describing Nanded as a land of farmers and hardworking people, Shinde said the 100-bed sub-district hospital at Wadi Budruk and several other development projects had been inaugurated. The hospital would begin serving citizens from Sunday itself.
He said he had instructed the Health Minister to ensure that CT scan and dialysis facilities were made available at the hospital at the earliest. These facilities would help farmers, labourers and economically weaker sections in rural areas access quality healthcare at affordable rates.
He further announced that a well-equipped 500-bed building for the Nanded District General Hospital would be constructed with the support of the Asian Development Bank, and its foundation stone would be laid soon.
The state government was committed to providing better healthcare services, Shinde said, adding that there would be no shortage of funds for Nanded's development. Both the Central and state governments were working to provide better facilities to people, he added.
CT scan, dialysis and specialist facilities to be provided
Public Health and Family Welfare Minister Prakash Abitkar said the demands for CT scan and dialysis facilities, as well as additional beds at the Wadi Budruk sub-district hospital, would be approved on priority. Specialised medical services for neurological and cardiac ailments would also be made available.
He said cancer treatment facilities would be introduced in Nanded through the 'Maha Care' initiative, with assistance from the Tata Memorial Trust.
The state government was making efforts to provide quality healthcare services to patients free of cost or at affordable rates, he said. The Health Samvad Yatra, which began on Sunday, would reach people directly, provide information about healthcare services and gather public feedback.
Abitkar appealed to farmers to face the difficult situation arising from the drought with determination and work together to overcome the crisis.
Nanded to get a 500-bed district hospital
Former Chief Minister and MP Ashokrao Chavan said a well-equipped 500-bed building for Shri Guru Gobind Singhji District Hospital would be constructed with assistance from the Asian Development Bank.
The Wadi Budruk sub-district hospital would further strengthen healthcare facilities in the region. Considering the growing urbanisation of Nanded city, the new hospital would prove particularly useful, he said.
Chavan noted that several healthcare services were already available through the Shankarrao Chavan Government Medical College. Cancer treatment facilities would also be introduced in Nanded soon, following a Cabinet decision. This would benefit patients from Nanded and neighbouring districts.
He also said a request had been made to the Central government for funds to establish a super-speciality hospital in Nanded.
Hemant Patil, Chairman of the Balasaheb Thackeray Turmeric Research Centre, said the Wadi Budruk hospital would provide better healthcare facilities to patients from the Nanded North Assembly constituency and Purna and Vasmat talukas. He also requested approval for adequate manpower and an oxygen plant at the hospital.
Nanded North MLA Balaji Kalyankar thanked Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for providing funds for the sub-district hospital. He said several road and infrastructure projects were also underway in the constituency and would be inaugurated soon.
Relief measures for drought-affected families
The programme also marked the launch of fodder distribution for livestock belonging to drought-affected farmers and the supply of drinking water through tankers.
Deputy Chief Minister Shinde distributed financial assistance cheques to the families of farmers who died by suicide, sewing machines to single women and bicycles to girl students.
In view of the drought situation, felicitation and welcome ceremonies were avoided, and the programme began directly with the scheduled activities.
In his introductory remarks, Health Services Commissioner Sanjay Katkar outlined the initiatives being implemented by the Public Health Department and urged needy patients to take advantage of these facilities.
