Maharashtra drought relief: What was announced, what remains unclear

Announced: drought in 305 of 358 talukas, with Rs 5,000 per farmer before Diwali.

Announced: 12 standard drought concessions to continue, including loan restructuring and land revenue concessions.

Reported: payments under the farm loan waiver scheme are being credited, though no amounts were given.

Unclear: the total cost of the advance and the final number of beneficiaries.

Not in the reports: reactions from opposition parties or farmer groups.

That is about 85% of the state’s talukas, according to NewsDrum and Deccan Herald.

The state had declared drought in 265 talukas across 32 districts in September and added 40 more, bringing the total to 305, according to NewsDrum.

Farmers in the affected talukas will receive Rs 5,000 each in advance assistance, transferred directly to their bank accounts before Diwali, according to the same reports.

Fadnavis said the full assessment procedures take time and cannot be completed before Diwali, so the advance is being paid ahead of that process, according to the reports.

The government expedited administrative procedures to announce relief in October and not in November or December, as in earlier years, according to the reports.

Fadnavis said, according to NewsDrum, that this Diwali is going to be difficult for farmers.

He said all 12 standard drought concessions will continue in the affected talukas, according to the reports.

These concessions include restructuring of agricultural loans, land revenue concessions, electricity-related relief and assistance for households, according to NewsDrum.

Reports also mention education fee waivers, water tankers and fodder support as part of the relief.

Payments under the state’s farm loan waiver scheme are being credited to beneficiaries’ accounts, according to NewsDrum, which gave no amounts or beneficiary numbers.

Another report says the government has identified 3.5 lakh farmers for the loan waiver scheme, and the process is under way.

Groundwater has fallen sharply, especially in the Marathwada region, according to NewsDrum.

Mantralaya, Mumbai (file image), Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0