Maharashtra declares drought in 265 talukas, sets relief measures in motion

• Maharashtra has declared drought in 265 of its 358 talukas following prolonged rainfall deficits and crop losses.

• The September 26 government resolution provides for measures including loan restructuring, a pause on farm loan recovery and drinking water supply.

• District collectors must document crop conditions before the government decides on crop-loss compensation.

The Maharashtra government on Saturday declared drought in 265 of the state’s 358 talukas after prolonged dry spells damaged crops across large parts of Vidarbha, Marathwada, North Maharashtra and the Pune division.

The Hindu reported that a government resolution based on the Agriculture Commissioner’s report identifies 16 affected talukas in Yavatmal and 15 in Jalgaon. Ahilyanagar, Nagpur, Amravati and Nanded have 14 each. The resolution says the affected areas have experienced drought-like conditions since June and meet the first trigger under the 2016 drought management code: a continuous dry spell of at least 21 days.

The declaration sets in motion 12 relief measures. They include a waiver of land revenue, restructuring of crop loans, a pause on farm loan recovery, exemptions from agricultural pump electricity bills and school examination fees, and arrangements for drinking water, food grain and fodder. It also provides for relaxed requirements under the rural employment scheme and a ban on disconnecting agricultural pumps.

District collectors have been directed to carry out panchnamas to assess crop damage. They must collect photographs and GPS coordinates from surveyed areas and send reports on crop conditions to the government through the Agriculture Commissioner. The assessments will inform a separate decision on compensation.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a Cabinet sub-committee on 22 September to oversee the relief response. Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Ajit Pawar said the government had also instructed officials to plan drinking water supplies and begin water conservation work. Crop-loss assistance would be announced in a separate resolution once the required process was complete, she said.

Farmers’ leader Ajit Navale welcomed the declaration but said compensation remained the pressing question. He argued that assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund would be insufficient for farmers who had suffered losses across two consecutive kharif seasons. Kisan Sabha has also called for the loan waiver announced in June to be expanded.

With agency inputs