The Maharashtra government will provide financial assistance to drought-affected farmers before Diwali, Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule said after a review meeting on the state’s drought situation, as authorities also moved to restrict the use of drinking water for construction activities.
Bawankule said the government was examining crop-loss assessment reports, known as panchnamas, to ensure that damage was recorded accurately. About 45 per cent of the panchnamas in affected regions had been completed, and officials were directed to accelerate the remaining assessments.
The review meeting covered water storage, crop losses and measures intended to ensure that assistance reaches farmers before Diwali. The government has also announced crop-loan restructuring, land-revenue concessions and power-bill subsidies for affected areas.
Under a proposed Government Resolution, potable or treated drinking water will be barred from construction activities during the drought. Bawankule said construction work would be permitted to use only treated water from sewage-treatment plants. The move places water reuse at the centre of the state’s response as authorities manage supplies for essential needs.
The meeting also considered complaints that banks and private financiers were allegedly seeking loan repayments from farmers during the drought. Bawankule said banks had been directed not to repeatedly demand documents from farmers who had already taken crop loans. He said nationalised and private banks, as well as private financiers, would face strict action if they contacted farmers for repayment during the drought.
District-level meetings chaired by collectors and discussions at the chief secretary’s level will address these issues. The government also plans to expedite village-level heirship records and KYC formalities under loan-waiver schemes so that eligible farmers do not miss benefits. Farmers without AgriStack will be covered under relief measures, while efforts will be made to bring Class II farmers onto the platform.
Fodder availability was another focus of the review. The government plans to establish fodder depots through gram panchayats, develop grasslands on forest, fallow and government land near water resources, and create fodder banks. Paddy straw from Vidarbha and Konkan is expected to be stored and used to produce cattle feed, Bawankule said.
Maharashtra declared drought in 265 of its 358 talukas, or about 74 per cent, on September 26 amid a rainfall deficit. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division has the highest number of affected talukas at 74, followed by Amravati with 56, Nashik with 49, Nagpur with 39, Pune with 35 and Thane with 12. Raigad has one affected taluka, while Ratnagiri has three and Sindhudurg eight.
A central team is expected to visit drought-affected districts on October 10 or 12. Three teams are expected to inspect Beed-Dharashiv and Yavatmal-Washim, as well as Ahilyanagar-Solapur districts. The visits will assess the situation as the state continues processing crop-loss records and relief measures.
