Mumbai: The Maharashtra government on Saturday declared drought conditions in 265 of the state’s 358 talukas following deficient monsoon rainfall during the 2026 Kharif season and announced a comprehensive relief package for affected farmers and rural households.
The state’s Relief and Rehabilitation Department issued the declaration through a Government Resolution (GR) after the implementation of Trigger-1 guidelines under the Drought Management Code, 2016, and based on a report submitted by the Commissioner of Agriculture.
District Collectors have been instructed to immediately initiate panchnama (field assessments) of crop loss across affected regions. The administration must collect geotagged photos with GPS coordinates of damaged farmlands and submit a comprehensive crop assessment report to the government through the Agriculture Commissioner.
To support farmers, agricultural labourers, and affected rural populations, the state government has extended a 12-point relief and concessions package for the designated 265 talukas. The government has announced a full waiver of land revenue for affected farmers, restructuring of existing agricultural loans, immediate stay on the recovery of all agriculture-related bank loans, exemption/concessions on current electricity bills for agricultural pumps above 7.5 HP capacity (up to 7.5 HP is already waived), waiver of examination fees for school and college students in the affected zones, relaxation of work norm criteria under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act to maximize employment generation, and deployment of water tankers wherever drinking water shortages occur.
Further, the government has issued strict orders preventing the disconnection of agricultural pump power supplies in declared scarcity-hit villages, implementation of targeted distribution systems to prevent food grain shortages for farmers and daily-wage agricultural workers, measures to ensure adequate supply and availability of fodder for cattle, immediate rollout of water conservation works in the affected belts and comprehensive planning for drinking and livestock water resources in accordance with government directives.
Out of the 358 talukas in Maharashtra, 265 (nearly 75 per cent) fall under Trigger-1 drought severity. In Konkan region, Ratnagiri (3 talukas ); Sindhudurg (8); Raigad (1 – Srivardhan); total 12, Nashik division; Nashik (10), Dhule (4), Jalgaon (15), Nandurbar (6), Ahilyanagar (14) total 49; Pune division, Pune (8), Solapur (11), Sangli (4), Satara (6), Kolhapur (6) total 35; Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (9), Jalna (8), Beed (11), Latur (10), Dharashiv (8), Nanded (14), Parbhani (9), Hingoli (5) total 74, Amravati division, Buldhana (13), Amravati (14), Akola (7), Washim (6), Yavatmal (16) total 56; and Nagpur division Wardha (7), Nagpur (14), Bhandara (3), Gondia (1), Chandrapur (12), Gadchiroli (2) total 39.
Deputy Chief Minister Sunetra Pawar and Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane confirmed the government’s move to declare drought in 265 talukas. Sunetra Pawar, who is currently visiting drought-hit villages in Nanded district, said the government is with farmers and they will not be left ft in the lurch.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who visited Marathwada, Vidarbha region and Solapur district two days ago, announced that funds won’t be an issue to tackle the present agrarian crisis.
Similarly, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who visited drought-affected villages in Vidarbha, said that farmers must not lose heart; the government will provide substantial financial assistance.
(IANS)
