Overview
- A government resolution issued on Sept 26 declared 265 of 358 talukas drought-affected and formally activated Trigger‑1 of Maharashtra’s Drought Management Code.
- District collectors have been told to begin panchnamas that include geotagged photos and GPS coordinates to document crop loss for later compensation decisions.
- The announced 12‑point relief package includes land‑revenue concessions, crop‑loan restructuring and moratoriums, electricity concessions for agricultural pumps, water tanker deployment, fodder and foodgrain arrangements, and relaxed MGNREGA norms to expand local works.
- Financial aid for crop damage will be decided in a separate government order after the on‑ground surveys are completed, and the Union Agriculture Ministry said central assessment teams will visit the state to corroborate conditions.
- The declaration follows a June–mid‑September rainfall shortfall the state put at about 18.8% with some divisions 30% down and some districts 40–50% down, a pattern officials link to El Niño and that could deepen stress on rabi sowing and rural incomes.