Maharashtra: 69 talukas facing drought-like conditions to get relief

The state government will also bear 50 per cent of the fees for children of farmers pursuing higher education in medicine, engineering and other professional courses.

The government has sought reports on rainfall during the peak monsoon months, average rainfall this year as compared to last year, the area under sowing, water levels in dams and crop losses in the talukas. Express

With Marathwada and parts of Western Maharashtra facing severe rainfall deficit, the Maharashtra government has identified 69 of the state’s total 355 talukas as areas facing drought-like conditions. This is over 19 per cent of the state, though the number of talukas declared drought-hit could rise later.

With a view to tackling the situation without waiting to complete the formalities of declaring a drought in the region, the state government will immediately extend several benefits and concessions to these 69 talukas. Among these will be a fee waiver for farmers’ children studying in classes up to XII. Several reports have emerged of farmers’ families halting children’s education in order to cut household expenses to tide over the drought.

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The state government will also bear 50 per cent of the fees for children of farmers (who earn up to Rs 2.5 lakh a year) pursuing higher education in medicine, engineering and other professional courses.

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In order to arrive at the final list of these talukas, the government has sought reports from divisional commissioners on rainfall during the peak monsoon months, average rainfall this year as compared to last year, the area under sowing, water levels in dams and crop losses. All reports will have to be submitted taluka-wise.

The government will also launch a special accident insurance scheme for farmers across the state, in which families will get a cover of Rs 2 lakh. Eknath Khadse, Minister for Relief and Rehabilitation and Agriculture, said this scheme would not apply to suicides but cater to families of farmers who died or suffered injuries in accidents. The scheme is for all farmers in Maharashtra, and not only for those in the drought-hit talukas.

The minister said the state government would have to follow due process involving the ‘paisewari’ method of measuring crop losses to formally declare a drought, an accurate estimate of which would only be available at the end of the Kharif season.

“However, we have decided to extend benefits and concessions to the areas facing a drought-like situation right away. The 69 talukas are those that have received less than 50 per cent of last year’s rainfall. These are mostly in Marathwada in districts such as Beed, Latur, Osmanabad, Parbhani, Jalna and some districts in Western Maharashtra such as Sangli, Ahmednagar,” said Khadse. The age-old paisewari system, which looks at yield vis-a-vis investment in the field, is being revamped with a cabinet sub-committee looking at the recommendations of a technical committee that had submitted a report on possible changes in the calculation methodology earlier this year.

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Other than educational benefits, the government has instructed panchayat samitis to grant work under the Centre’s and state’s employment guarantee schemes to whoever approaches them for work, and delegated decision-making for procurement of tankers to district collectors. Additional fodder camps to cater to cattle during a drought-like situation will be established in talukas of Ahmednagar, Parbhani and Solapur districts on the lines of those set up at Beed, Osmanabad and Latur.

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