Maharashtra has empowered district collectors to procure and cultivate fodder, restart stalled rural drinking-water schemes and coordinate drought relief across 304 talukas as water shortages intensify across the state.
The decisions were taken at a meeting of the state cabinet subcommittee on drought mitigation chaired by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. The measures are intended to address drinking-water shortages, protect livestock and reduce financial distress among farmers, Bawankule said.
Under a new standard operating procedure, dry fodder will be supplied at ₹12 per kg and green fodder at ₹8 per kg. A five-member committee headed by each district collector will supervise procurement, local cultivation and the movement of fodder from other districts.
District Planning Committee funds will be used to support fodder cultivation on available land belonging to the forest, revenue and water resources departments. Surplus fodder from Sindhudurg and Ratnagiri will be diverted to drought-hit districts under the arrangement.
The state has also directed district planning committees to revive rural drinking-water schemes in locations where water is available but supplies have stopped because of unpaid electricity bills or the absence of a new power connection. The government expects restarting these schemes to reduce dependence on water tankers and improve access to potable water in villages.
The subcommittee also clarified the eligibility conditions for a ₹5,000 assistance payment scheduled to be given to farmers before Diwali. Income taxpayers, government officers and employees, and elected representatives will be excluded. The criteria will be enforced along the lines used for farm loan waivers.
To improve water storage and agricultural productivity, the government will provide a subsidy of ₹31 per cubic metre for removing silt from lakes and dams, and ₹35 per cubic metre for transporting and spreading the material on farmland. Royalty will be waived on soil, murum and gravel extracted from lakes for road construction.
The meeting also addressed recovery practices by microfinance and private finance companies during the drought. Following an incident in Nanded, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis directed police to register cases directly against officials and recovery agents of companies accused of subjecting farmers to mental harassment through aggressive recovery action.
The drought-hit list could expand. Haveli, Maval and Mulshi talukas in Pune district, Hatkanangale in Kolhapur district and parts of Konkan have sought drought classification. The cabinet subcommittee will take a final decision on their inclusion at its next meeting after receiving field reports from district collectors, Bawankule said.
