Fadnavis Assures Drought Relief Beyond Trigger Criteria

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday said farmers in talukas that do not meet the prescribed ‘Trigger-1’ or ‘Trigger-2’ criteria for drought relief but have suffered significant crop losses will also be eligible for assistance.

The State Cabinet decided to expand ground-truthing to the revenue-circle level to ensure that farmers are not denied relief because of technical parameters. The decision came after several Cabinet ministers raised the issue of talukas in their districts that had not been included in the drought-relief list despite reports of crop losses.

An official who attended the Cabinet meeting said around 20 talukas had not qualified for inclusion under Trigger-1 because they did not meet the prescribed norms. Mr. Fadnavis assured the ministers that farmers in these areas would not be left without assistance.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Fadnavis said some talukas had recorded crop losses but failed to meet the Trigger-1 criteria. The Cabinet has therefore decided to conduct field-level inspections and extend assistance to farmers whose crops are found to have been damaged.

“This year there is a strange situation of excess rainfall in the first two months and a complete dry spell in the subsequent two months. Even if the crops do not fit the technical criteria, if the crops have actually withered in the fields, farmers cannot be left high and dry. Therefore, after actual inspection at the circle level, all drought benefits will be given to the farmers,” Mr. Fadnavis said.

He said the actual condition of crops would also be assessed in talukas where neither Trigger-1 nor Trigger-2 applied. The Cabinet has referred the matter to its drought sub-committee, which will regularly monitor the situation in the affected areas.

“Farmers who have actually suffered losses should not be denied assistance because of technicalities. Wherever crops have genuinely withered but the taluka has not been included in the first list, the farmers will also get assistance,” he said.

Of the State’s 358 talukas, 265, or about 74 per cent, have already been declared drought-affected. In some of the remaining talukas, officials said, heavy rainfall recorded in a particular revenue circle raised the average rainfall for the entire taluka. Consequently, the technical requirements under Trigger-1 and Trigger-2 of the Central Government’s drought-management code were not met, even though crops in parts of these talukas had withered.

Several ministers drew attention to the issue during the Cabinet meeting and sought relief for affected farmers, officials said.

The Cabinet also approved Maharashtra’s first Fodder Development Policy to address the shortage of livestock feed and promote dairy farming and animal husbandry.

Maharashtra has about 2.78 crore livestock and currently faces a 22.79 per cent deficit in green fodder and a 21.43 per cent shortage of dry fodder. The policy will promote fodder cultivation, silage production, feed blocks, hydroponic fodder and azolla cultivation.

The Government has earmarked Rs 496 crore under the policy, which is expected to benefit 12,000 beneficiaries annually.

The policy will also encourage fodder cultivation on fallow and grazing lands under the Revenue and Forest departments, besides promoting horticulture-silvi-pasture systems, silage production and hydroponic fodder technology.

The policy is aimed at addressing the fodder shortage reported across 265 talukas during the current kharif season and strengthening fodder availability across the State.