An RTI by activist Vaibhav Kokat shows the CM Relief Fund received ₹106.57 crore in October 2025
The same RTI revealed that only ₹75,000 was disbursed to flood-affected farmers
The revelation has raised concerns about transparency and accountability
Vaibhav Kokat,—a law student and Maharashtra based activist—in a post on X on December 10, 2025, alleged major discrepancies in the Maharashtra Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) during the recent flood crisis. Citing information obtained through an RTI query, he said that although more than ₹1 billion was deposited in the CM Relief Fund in October 2025, only ₹75,000 was actually disbursed to affected farmers.
According to details shared by Kokat, the RTI sought two key clarifications. The first question asked: “How much money was deposited in the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund in October 2025?” In response, the CMRF office reported that ₹1,06,57,96,331 was credited to the fund during that month.
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The second question asked: “How much of this collected amount was given to the affected farmers?” The reply stated that aid is released based on the Chief Minister’s directions and applications received by the CMRF Cell. As per records, only ₹75,000 was distributed to farmers in October 2025.
Kokat highlighted that this sharp difference between the amount collected and the amount released raises serious concerns about transparency and accountability—especially after the devastating September floods that destroyed crops across 68.69 lakh hectares in Maharashtra, severely impacting Marathwada and surrounding regions.
He noted that thousands of citizens, government employees, MLAs, and private organisations contributed to the CM Relief Fund during the crisis, expecting that their donations would directly reach flood-affected families. The government had also run a special campaign: one day’s salary was deducted from government employees, MLAs donated their monthly pay, and sugar factories were instructed to contribute ₹10 per tonne of sugarcane.
Sharing the RTI results, Kokat said such a huge mismatch undermines public trust, especially among donors who contributed during personal occasions or even from their pensions believing they were helping affected farmers.
He demanded that the Maharashtra government establish an independent, publicly accessible dashboard showing monthly receipts and expenditures under the CMRF to ensure transparency. “it should announce on social media how much money was received per month”
He wrote that “This response through RTI is disappointing and breaks the trust of the people who donated.” The significant gap between funds received and funds utilized has triggered questions against the government. “Will the administration answer this?” Whether the government will respond or reassess its disbursement process remains to be seen.
[Rh]
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