Maharashtra drought: State Govt waives technical norms to extend full relief to excluded farmers

Mumbai: In a major move to mitigate the severe drought-like conditions across Maharashtra, the State Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Tuesday announced that technical criteria will not prevent affected farmers from receiving government assistance.

Addressing a press conference following the Cabinet meeting, CM Fadnavis said that the state will conduct on-ground physical inspections in talukas where crops have withered but failed to meet standard automated triggers due to unusual weather patterns.

Farmers in these areas will now be granted full drought relief benefits as a special exemption.

The decisions are expected to provide immediate financial and administrative relief to thousands of farmers who were initially left out of the state's drought declaration due to automated criteria.

Specific guidelines detailing the distribution of financial aid and resources for these newly included regions are expected to be released in the coming days, informed the CM.

Addressing an unusual weather cycle—marked by heavy rainfall during the initial two months followed by a total dry spell—the government noted that standard 'Trigger 1' parameters were not met in several areas.

Physical crop damage assessments will now be conducted on the ground to ensure no affected farmer is left out, said the CM.

He added that a dedicated drought mitigation sub-committee will meet regularly, with ministers directed to submit local proposals and feedback without delay.

For districts excluded from the initial drought-hit list, officials have been instructed to apply alternate parameters and submit fresh relief proposals, informed the CM.

According to the Chief Minister, the state will issue a transparent Government Resolution (GR) prioritising water usage, explicitly factoring in livestock water needs alongside drinking water before allocating supplies for other purposes.

District Planning and Development Committees (DPDC) have been mandated to allocate maximum resources towards drought mitigation work. Guardian Ministers have been advised to take creative, localised action.

In a direct relief measure for families in affected regions, Class 10 (SSC) and Class 12 (HSC) students will have their examination fees completely waived upfront, replacing the previous mechanism of fee collection and reimbursement, he said.

The CM's announcement comes days after the Maharashtra government, through the Relief and Rehabilitation Department, on Saturday issued a Government Resolution declaring official drought conditions in 265 talukas of the total 358 talukas across the state following deficient monsoon rainfall during the 2026 Kharif season.

The move comes after the implementation of Trigger-1 guidelines under the Drought Management Code 2016 and a report submitted by the Commissioner of Agriculture.

District Collectors have been instructed to immediately initiate field assessments of crop loss across affected regions. The administration must collect geotagged photos with GPS coordinates of damaged farmlands and submit a comprehensive crop assessment report to the government through the Agriculture Commissioner.

To support farmers, agricultural labourers, and affected rural populations, the state government has extended a 12-point relief and concessions package for the designated 265 talukas.

The government has announced full waiver of land revenue for affected farmers, restructuring of existing agricultural loans, immediate stay on the recovery of all agriculture-related bank loans, exemption/concessions on current electricity bills for agricultural pumps above 7.5 HP capacity (up to 7.5 HP is already waived), waiver of examination fees for school and college students in the affected zones, relaxation of work norm criteria under the VB-G RAM G to maximise employment generation and deployment of water tankers wherever drinking water shortages occur.

Further, the government has issued strict orders preventing the disconnection of agricultural pump power supplies in declared scarcity villages, implementation of targeted distribution systems to prevent food grain shortages for farmers and daily-wage agricultural workers, measures to ensure adequate supply and availability of fodder for cattle, immediate rollout of water conservation works in the affected belts and comprehensive planning for drinking and livestock water resources in accordance with government directives.

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