Overview

• Maharashtra has announced a Rs 31,628 crore package with Rs 10,000 already transferred to farmers’ accounts, Rs 48,000 per hectare for crop loss, and up to roughly Rs 3–3.47 lakh per hectare for eroded land through MGNREGA-linked aid.
• Uddhav Thackeray denounced the package as the “biggest joke,” seeking a complete loan waiver and at least Rs 50,000 per hectare for affected farmers.
• He urged an immediate advance of Rs 1 lakh per hectare from land-restoration assistance before Diwali and warned of street protests if waivers are not granted.
• Thackeray cited farm experts who estimate only about Rs 6,500 crore amounts to direct relief and pressed for PM Cares funds if state resources prove inadequate.
• Deputy CM Eknath Shinde dismissed the critique as “crocodile tears” and said the government is prioritising relief over NDRF constraints, as CM Devendra Fadnavis stated phase-one disbursals are underway with completion targeted before Diwali; crop damage is estimated at 68.69 lakh hectares.