📷 Image: The Hindu (via NewsData)
Agriculture
Maharashtra sets up drought panel, approves ₹291.91 crore for flood‑hit farmers
✍️ The Hindu
🗓 03 Nov 2026, 04:44 AM
👁 2
The Maharashtra government has formed a drought‑mitigation panel and sanctioned a ₹291.91 crore relief package for farmers hit by recent floods, after declaring drought in several talukas due to deficient rainfall in 2026.
Maharashtra announced the creation of a dedicated drought‑mitigation panel and approved a relief fund of ₹291.91 crore to support farmers whose fields were inundated during recent floods. The move comes after the state recorded significantly below‑normal rainfall across several districts in 2026, prompting officials to declare drought in a number of talukas under the Kharif season’s Trigger‑1 assessment.
The Trigger‑1 assessment, a climate‑risk tool used by the state, identified the most vulnerable talukas where rain deficits threatened crop sowing and yields. The newly formed panel will coordinate relief distribution, monitor water‑conservation measures, and recommend long‑term strategies to bolster agricultural resilience in the affected regions.
Funds will be channelled through existing schemes such as crop‑insurance payouts, loan waivers and direct cash assistance, ensuring that the money reaches small and marginal farmers quickly. State agriculture officials said the relief is aimed at covering input costs, rehabilitating damaged farmland and stabilising farmer incomes ahead of the upcoming Kharif season.
The panel, comprising senior officials from the agriculture, water resources and finance departments, will meet regularly to assess on‑ground needs and adjust interventions as the monsoon progresses. By linking immediate relief with longer‑term drought‑management plans, the government hopes to mitigate the dual challenges of flood damage and water scarcity for Maharashtra’s farming community.
The Trigger‑1 assessment, a climate‑risk tool used by the state, identified the most vulnerable talukas where rain deficits threatened crop sowing and yields. The newly formed panel will coordinate relief distribution, monitor water‑conservation measures, and recommend long‑term strategies to bolster agricultural resilience in the affected regions.
Funds will be channelled through existing schemes such as crop‑insurance payouts, loan waivers and direct cash assistance, ensuring that the money reaches small and marginal farmers quickly. State agriculture officials said the relief is aimed at covering input costs, rehabilitating damaged farmland and stabilising farmer incomes ahead of the upcoming Kharif season.
The panel, comprising senior officials from the agriculture, water resources and finance departments, will meet regularly to assess on‑ground needs and adjust interventions as the monsoon progresses. By linking immediate relief with longer‑term drought‑management plans, the government hopes to mitigate the dual challenges of flood damage and water scarcity for Maharashtra’s farming community.