Maharashtra has declared drought in 265 of the state’s 358 talukas, covering nearly 75 per cent of the state, but Opposition parties have criticised the government for not announcing immediate monetary assistance for crop losses.
The drought declaration by the Devendra Fadnavis government provides for land revenue exemption, crop loan restructuring, deferred loan recovery, concessions on agricultural electricity bills and examination fee waivers. It also allows relaxation of employment guarantee scheme norms and includes arrangements for water tankers, fodder and drinking water.
However, the Government Resolution does not provide immediate cash compensation for failed crops. According to NCP (SP) senior leader Mahesh Tapase, the government has deferred compensation for actual crop losses to a separate resolution after panchnamas, or field-level crop damage surveys, are completed.
“The government has declared drought in 265 out of 358 talukas and yet, in the very same order, it says compensation for the farmers’ actual losses will come ‘later’, after further paperwork and survey. Farmers whose crops have already failed cannot survive on promises of a future GR,” Tapase said.
Tapase asked the government to clarify when interim and final compensation would reach affected farmers and how much assistance would be provided. He said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had raised the issue in a letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on September 16 and sought an immediate relief package of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare, along with other measures.
The dispute centres on the gap between declaring drought and delivering relief at the household level. The measures listed in the Government Resolution can reduce some financial and administrative burdens, but direct crop-loss payments remain dependent on surveys and a subsequent government order. The supplied report does not specify the timeline for completing the panchnamas or issuing that order.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray also said the drought declaration should have been made earlier. He welcomed the decision but demanded that the relief package move beyond the government order and reach eligible farmers’ bank accounts at the grassroots level.
Thackeray said farmers had not received compensation in several cases and alleged that crop insurance payouts for the past two to three years had also not been credited to many farmers’ accounts. He referred to the impact of the “Super El Niño crisis” and heavy rains from the previous year while calling for transparency in the distribution of aid.
The Government Resolution also has implications beyond farm compensation because it includes provisions for drinking water, fodder and water tankers, as well as changes to employment guarantee scheme rules. The next formal step is the completion of crop-damage surveys and the issuance of the separate resolution governing actual compensation, while the administration is expected to implement the listed drought-relief measures across the 265 declared talukas.
