Drought Blow: Vidarbha’s Rice Bowl Shrinks

Nagpur: Bhandara, also known as the rice bowl of Vidarbha, is facing heavy paddy losses after a prolonged dry spell and a pest attack, prompting guardian minister Pankaj Bhoyar to direct officials to speed up the assessment process under Trigger-1. Last week, state govt declared three talukas in Bhandara as drought-like; now assessments have begun in another two — Tumsar and Mohadi — to check if they can also be added to the list.