Maharashtra farmers in drought-affected areas will have to wait for financial assistance until crop loss panchnamas, or detailed ground assessments, are completed, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said on Monday. The state government has declared drought across 75 per cent of Maharashtra, according to the report by Mid-Day citing IANS.
Bawankule said the government would release assistance only after the assessment reports had been finalised. He said the process was intended to ensure that every eligible farmer was included and that compensation reflected the actual damage suffered by different crops.
The minister, who heads the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Drought Relief, said an early release of funds without field verification could result in inaccurate compensation. The assessment will cover crops including cotton, soybean, turmeric, sugarcane, horticultural produce and orange orchards, each of which has different damage parameters.
“Our goal is to ensure that not a single eligible farmer is excluded. Different crops such as cotton, soybean, turmeric, sugarcane, horticulture and orange orchards have distinct damage parameters. Releasing funds today without ground assessments would lead to inaccurate compensation,” Bawankule said, as cited by IANS.
He added that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would formally announce the financial package after the comprehensive reports were completed. The timing of that announcement and the total size of the package were not specified in the report.
The Cabinet Sub-Committee will meet every Tuesday to review the situation across affected districts, Bawankule said. The review process is also expected to support applications for assistance under National Disaster Response Fund guidelines, for which crop damage and local conditions must be documented.
Bawankule directed the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited to provide 12 hours of uninterrupted power supply to agricultural feeders. The availability of power on these feeders will be reviewed weekly, according to the report. The direction links drought relief not only to compensation but also to the continuity of electricity used for agricultural operations.
The minister’s remarks came amid demands from opposition leaders, including NCP chief Sharad Pawar, for urgent drought assistance. Bawankule said the government had received more than 2,000 letters from opposition leaders and added that administrative action was not being taken solely because of those representations.
He also said talukas left out of the drought declaration would be evaluated after further study. The minister referred to the Chief Minister’s visit to farm bunds as part of the assessment process and urged political parties not to politicise the crisis.
The immediate administrative task is therefore to complete the crop loss surveys, review conditions in omitted talukas, monitor agricultural feeder supply and place the findings before the state government. The financial package will be announced after those assessments are finalised, Bawankule said.
