Maharashtra has set October 12 as the deadline to complete panchnamas—ground-level assessments of drought-affected farms—with 44% of the process completed so far, after complaints that surveys were progressing slowly in affected regions. The state plans to send the completed report to the Centre to seek assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
The drought situation was discussed at a state cabinet meeting on Tuesday, where officials stressed the need to complete the assessment process within the required timeline. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said a committee constituted by the Centre would visit Maharashtra in the coming days and review the situation until October 11 before finalising its ground report.
“We have already written to the Centre for drought relief. At present, our focus is to fulfil the required mandate,” Fadnavis said, according to the Times of India report.
The panchnama process is a necessary administrative step for documenting affected farms and establishing the basis for a request for central relief. The Centre requires the state to complete these assessments before Maharashtra can apply for assistance under the NDRF.
State Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne said the exercise was being carried out on a “war footing”. He said the highest progress had been recorded in the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar region, where panchnamas had been completed for 67.3% of the total affected area.
The Konkan region had recorded the lowest progress, with 10.31% of the affected area covered by the assessment process, Bharne said. The variation indicates that the state’s relief application will depend not only on the overall completion rate but also on the pace at which district-level teams document affected farms across regions.
By September 26, Maharashtra had declared drought in 265 tehsils. Farmers and opposition members have sought the inclusion of additional tehsils, including areas under their respective jurisdictions. The government has not yet indicated how many more tehsils could be added following the ongoing review.
Bharne said 19 tehsils remained under review, with ground-truthing underway. District collectors have been instructed to submit their reports at the earliest so that the government can take the necessary action.
The state’s October 12 deadline comes one day after the Centre’s committee is expected to complete its review of the situation. Once the panchnamas are completed, Maharashtra is expected to immediately submit its report to the central government for consideration of NDRF assistance.
