Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the state government would not wait for Central assistance to help farmers facing distress due to inadequate rainfall. He said formal crop-loss assessments would be carried out after October 5 as required under the rules, following which the state would seek assistance from the Centre, but the state has already initiated drought relief measures.
The opposition has demanded immediate drought declarations and direct relief. Congress leader Harshwardhan Sapkal criticised the administration’s reliance on protracted meetings while crops failed, demanding a complete farm loan waiver and compensation of Rs one lakh per hectare. Citing a visit to Buldhana district, Mr. Sapkal argued that current debt relief schemes are failing, noting one village where only three farmers received payouts — one as low as Rs 40,000.
However, Mr. Fadnavis claimed that the Cabinet has already deliberated on the crisis and proactive measures are actively underway across affected regions. “The state government never waits for assistance from the Central government and starts extending assistance from its own funds. The state cabinet had already discussed the situation and measures are being taken to address the crisis,” he said.
The CM clarified the distinction between implementing immediate relief and formally declaring a drought under National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) guidelines. Statutory crop-loss assessments will commence after October 5, after which Maharashtra will formally apply for Central aid.
Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Jadhav-Patil said the procedure for declaring drought was revised by the state Revenue and Forest Departments through a government resolution issued on October 7, 2017, and has been in force since the 2017 kharif season. Under these rules, Kharif drought declarations must occur by October 30, and Rabi declarations by March 31. Local water tankers can be deployed immediately if shortages arise.
Declarations rely on mandatory indicators (rainfall, vegetation index, sown area, soil moisture, groundwater levels) and socio-economic factors (fodder availability, employment demand, migration). A village becomes eligible if field surveys confirm over 33 per cent crop damage. State and district-level committees — led by the Agriculture Commissioner — monitor conditions, with the Agriculture Minister set to conduct field visits and present recommendations to the Cabinet.
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