Overview
- Eknath Shinde met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Monday and said the prime minister assured the Maharashtra government of Centre support for drought-hit farmers.
- Shinde told reporters that Modi asked for detailed information on water availability, crop conditions and fodder and that a central team will visit affected areas to assess needs.
- The state had formally declared drought on Sept. 26 in 265 of 358 talukas, leaving roughly three-quarters of Maharashtra eligible for relief measures.
- Shinde noted farmers already receive a combined annual cash transfer of ₹12,000—₹6,000 from the Centre’s Shetkari Samman scheme and ₹6,000 from Maharashtra’s Namo Shetkari program—and said more aid would follow as assessments conclude.
- The drought talks coincided with alliance politics in Maharashtra, where the Mahayuti committee discussed Mangesh Chivte’s candidacy for the Pune Teachers’ MLC seat and Chivte is set to file his nomination on Tuesday.