Central Team Arrives In Maharashtra To Assess Drought

An 11-member Central government inter-ministerial team on Thursday arrived in Maharashtra to take stock of the drought situation and assess the extent of damage in drought-affected districts, amid the state government’s demand for a relief package for farmers. The team will begin its field visits on Friday and is scheduled to visit Beed, Jalna and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar in Marathwada; Pune, Ahilyanagar and Solapur in western Maharashtra; and Yavatmal and Nagpur in the Vidarbha region. The team is expected to assess the ground situation and submit its findings to the Centre.

The team is headed by Muktanand Agrawal, Joint Secretary in the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, and includes administrative and technical officials from several Union ministries and departments, including agriculture, water resources, rural development, drinking water, food and public distribution, animal husbandry, finance and NITI Aayog.

Following the team’s arrival in Mumbai, a meeting was held at Sahyadri Guest House in the presence of senior Maharashtra government officials, including Chief Secretary Rajesh Agrawal and ACS, Relief and Rehabilitation Department, Vinita Ved Singal.

Officials said the Central team will remain in the state until Sunday. For the field assessment, the 11-member team has been divided into three groups. The first team will inspect Ahilyanagar, Solapur and Pune in western Maharashtra, while the second team will visit Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna and Beed in Marathwada. The third team will assess the situation in Nagpur, Yavatmal and adjoining drought-affected areas of Vidarbha.

“The teams will undertake field inspections of affected areas, including crop damage, drinking water availability and fodder conditions, besides assessing the overall ground situation,” officials said.

According to officials, the Central team was apprised that the state machinery has conducted a spot assessment in 28,039, or 67 per cent, of the 32,927 villages across 265 talukas identified as drought-affected. Crop damage due to water stress has been reported over 1,49,26,497 hectares, affecting 1,41,98,406 farmers in these villages.

A senior official said the state government also apprised the Central team of the impact of deficient rainfall on water availability in several parts of Maharashtra. It highlighted the possible requirement for water tankers, the difficulties faced by farmers and agricultural labourers, the possibility of migration and the issue of farmer suicides.

“The Rs 17,500 crore sought for drought relief currently covers only two components—crop losses and fodder management. The remaining six components, including drinking water supply and the employment guarantee scheme, will be incorporated into the final proposal after the ongoing assessment is completed over the next few days. The overall demand is therefore expected to increase substantially,” the senior official said.