Over 73% of Maharashtra is now grappling with drought conditions as the cabinet sub-committee on Relief and Rehabilitation decided to augment the list of drought-affected regions by adding 220 circles. This decision, prompted by persistent demands from various parts of the state, comes two months after the Maharashtra government declared drought in 229 tehsils comprising 1,290 circles.
With the recent inclusion by the sub-committee, a total of 1,510 circles out of 2,068 are now officially designated as drought-affected, covering a significant portion of the state. While the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) will contribute to relief and rehabilitation efforts in the 40 tehsils (269 circles) announced in October 2023, the newly added drought-affected areas will rely on the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
Maharashtra’s Relief and Rehabilitation Minister, Anil Patil, assured assistance to all regions facing water and fodder scarcity, emphasizing the government’s commitment to providing aid. The decision to include new circles was based on a report from districts identifying areas lacking rain gauge machines, with stringent criteria such as rainfall scarcity, groundwater availability, remote sensing data, vegetation index, soil moisture, sowing area, and crop conditions.
The newly designated drought areas will benefit from measures including crop loan restructuring, revenue concessions, stays on farm loan recovery, a 33.5% discount on current power bills for agricultural pumps, exam fee waivers for students, relaxed norms for employment guarantee schemes, water tanker availability, and assurance against disconnection of agri pumps due to unpaid bills.