Admitting that the financial aid given by his own State government is not enough to support ailing farmers in Maharashtra, Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray, who is also a well-known photographer, on Monday announced the setting up of a corpus fund by selling his photographs.
In the past, Mr. Thackeray as an Opposition leader had accused the Congress-NCP government of not providing enough financial help to solve farmers’ distress.
In a candid admission at a press conference here, Mr. Thackeray, now a part of the BJP-led State government, accepted that the government’s help would not be sufficient to solve the farmers’ problems.
“I don’t believe that everything will be fine just because we have joined the government. The troubles of the State’s farmers are much bigger and the government’s efforts too are falling short,” he said, while announcing a six-day exhibition of around 70 photographs clicked by himself.
Maharashtra has been facing a series of natural calamities for over a year. Drought, hailstorm and untimely rains have destroyed crops on thousands of acres. According to reports, over 100 farmers from Vidarbha and Marathwada committed suicide in November 2014 alone. The State government has sought a relief package of Rs. 4,500 crore from the Centre.
The exhibition will be inaugurated by Ustad Zakir Hussain on January 6. This will be Mr. Thackeray’s first photo exhibition in last 11 years. From temples in Cambodia to polar bears in Hudson’s Bay and from portraits of different personalities to use of infrared photography, Mr. Thackeray has selected photographs he clicked in the last 10 years.
“I will sell my photos in this exhibition and the money collected will be used to help the families of farmers who have committed suicide or to stop them from committing suicide,” he said. The Trust created by him would ensure that the money reached needy farmers.
