The Maharashtra government on Wednesday declared 40 more talukas in the State drought-hit and decided to deposit an advance relief amount of ₹5,000 in the bank accounts of farmers ahead of Diwali.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said, “More 40 regions are added, the drought measures will be implemented in all announced drought regions.”
He also warned cooperative societies, district banks, nationalised banks and microfinance companies against pressuring farmers to recover loans.
Relief measures
The government had earlier declared 265 talukas drought-hit. With 40 more talukas added to the list, the total has risen to 305. Trigger 1 and Trigger 2 have been applied in these talukas, making them eligible for assistance under the Centre’s National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) guidelines. The measures include a complete waiver of examination fees for students in drought-hit talukas, without any eligibility criteria.
“The government will purchase the fodder cultivated by farmers at a guaranteed price to make fodder available for animals,” Mr. Fadnavis said, outlining the fodder policy.
Minister of State for Relief and Rehabilitation Makrand Jadhav Patil said the government had decided to implement 12 measures to provide relief to farmers. These include exemption from land revenue, restructuring of crop loans, a stay on the recovery of agriculture-related loans, exemption from current electricity bills for agricultural pumps, and a waiver of examination fees for school and college students.
Water management
Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule reiterated that tankers should be used only as a last resort to address water scarcity. He directed officials to restart water supply schemes that had been shut down due to pending electricity bills or a lack of transformers.
Mr. Bawankule, who chairs the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Drought, also sought proposals from District Collectors for district-wise measures within 15 days.
“Before the drinking water situation becomes critical, wells where water is available should be acquired to overcome water scarcity. Water supply schemes which are 75 to 80 percent complete should be completed on priority. Tanker App and GPS system should be started to ensure proper and smooth water supply,” he said.
He urged the districts concerned to use funds available under the Fifteenth Finance Commission to clear pending electricity bills. Other districts were directed to take steps to clear their dues under the one-time settlement scheme.
Meanwhile, the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) has decided to suspend water supply across the city every Thursday from October 15. It will also prohibit the use of drinking water for construction and initiate the closure of vehicle-washing centres until the next monsoon.
“The State has received less rainfall due to the El Niño effect and as the El Niño effect is expected to continue till next year, it is necessary to manage the available water storage economically and in a very well-planned manner,” the PMC said in a statement.
The civic body’s decision follows a Government Resolution issued by the State Water Resources Department on October 6, directing micro-planning of available water storage in dams across the State, based on availability and usage. The resolution also called for measures to secure drinking water supplies and mitigate the impact of a possible drought-like situation.
Published - October 15, 2026 09:05 pm IST