MUMBAI: NCP(SP) chief and former Union agriculture minister Sharad Pawar has urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to declare a drought in the state and announce financial assistance of Rs 50,000 per hectare for affected farmers and Rs 25,000 for each farm labourer family.
Responding to Pawar’s letter, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said farmers would not be left in the lurch and that the government would stand firmly with those affected by drought-like conditions.
Shinde said the process of assessing crop damage had begun, with officials conducting panchnamas to record the extent of losses, and that farmers would receive assistance based on the damage assessed.
Pawar said the severity of the situation warranted an immediate drought declaration without waiting for the formal criteria to be met.
According to Pawar, 31 of Maharashtra’s 36 districts received below-average rainfall, resulting in a 19 per cent decline in sowing compared with last year and adversely affecting pulse crops. He urged the state government to immediately implement drought-relief measures.
Pawar also demanded financial assistance of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare for affected farmers and Rs 25,000 for each farm labourer family, saying their livelihoods depended on agriculture.
He called for the immediate implementation of a loan waiver scheme and urged the government to ensure that crop loans were made available without delay.
Pawar also demanded that the incentive for farmers who repay their loans regularly be increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. He sought the inclusion of farmers who took crop loans for the 2025-26 season but defaulted this year in the proposed loan waiver scheme.
He further urged the government to implement the 'Crop Insurance for One Rupee' scheme retrospectively, applying previously excluded triggers to ensure that eligible farmers receive insurance benefits.
Pawar also sought the immediate disbursal of the Rs 17,000 per hectare crop insurance compensation announced for losses caused by unseasonal rains last year.
He called for special schemes under the Employment Guarantee Scheme in drought-hit talukas to undertake agricultural, water conservation and other essential works.
Pawar also urged the government to deploy water tankers to protect orchards and conduct an immediate survey of villages facing drinking water shortages. He sought the establishment of fodder camps based on demand, along with drinking water and veterinary services for livestock.
Highlighting the possibility of increased power shortages during droughts, Pawar called for a special drive by the Energy Department to ensure that faulty electricity transformers are repaired promptly.
He also proposed setting up state and district-level control rooms to monitor rainfall, crop conditions, water availability, fodder supplies and livestock conditions on a daily basis.
Pawar further demanded that the government waive the entire educational fees, and not merely examination fees, for students from drought-affected areas studying in schools, colleges and other educational institutions.
“Given the gravity of this serious situation affecting farmers, farm labourers, livestock, and rural life, it is expected that the CM should take a positive decision on the above demands and implement necessary measures immediately,” Pawar said in his letter.
