Maharashtra’s drought response gained urgency on Friday after NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar sought the immediate declaration of rain-deficit talukas as drought-hit, while Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne said declaring drought was the need of the hour and that the government would act after collecting field data.
In a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Pawar demanded relief of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare for affected farmers. He said delayed rains had damaged standing crops, including soybean, cotton, pearl millet, maize, pigeon pea, mung bean and black gram, while pest and disease attacks had also increased.
Pawar warned that the impact could extend beyond agricultural losses to drinking water and fodder availability. He urged the state government not to wait for formal drought criteria before identifying affected talukas and beginning relief measures.
The demands also include Rs 25,000 in special assistance for each farm labourer family, implementation of a loan waiver scheme and the release of fresh crop loans. Pawar sought an increase in the incentive for farmers who regularly repay loans from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. He also called for farmers who borrowed during 2025–26 and defaulted this year to be included in any loan waiver scheme.
On crop insurance, Pawar sought retrospective implementation of the Re 1 crop insurance scheme and the restoration of previously excluded insurance triggers. He also demanded the release of crop insurance assistance of Rs 17,000 per hectare announced for losses caused by unseasonal rains last year.
His other requests cover the state’s rural support systems. He asked the government to prioritise Employment Guarantee Scheme works in drought-like talukas, particularly agriculture and water-conservation projects, and to arrange tankers to protect fruit orchards from water shortages. He also called for fodder camps, drinking water for people and livestock, veterinary services and faster repairs to faulty electricity transformers amid the possibility of increased load-shedding.
Pawar further sought a complete waiver of educational fees, rather than only examination fees, for students in schools, colleges and other educational institutions in talukas officially declared drought-affected.
Responding to the appeal, Bharne said the state’s drought declaration would naturally follow and did not need to be explicitly stated. He said the Chief Minister had reviewed the situation and would tour five to six districts to gather ground-level information. Bharne added that the question of fodder camps was under consideration, with decisions concerning livestock and the dairy sector expected around Diwali.
The immediate administrative step is the collection and assessment of data by the agriculture and revenue departments, followed by decisions on drought declarations and relief measures for affected areas.
