Maharashtra prepares memorandum for central assistance following drought assessment
The state agriculture department will submit a memorandum to the Centre within one or two days after conducting nearly three crore site visits.
The Maharashtra state agriculture department is preparing a memorandum for the Centre following an assessment involving nearly three crore panchanama site visits, according to Urban Acres. The state has declared drought in 305 of its 358 tehsils, with officials suggesting more tehsils may be added.
Agriculture commissioner Suraj Mandhare stated that field-level assessments in all affected areas are complete and are being verified for a uniform format. He noted that the current 3 crore site visits compare to 35,000 during the previous exercise. Agriculture minister Dattatray Bharne said nearly 97 per cent of the crop panchanama is finished.
The department stated that deficient rainfall caused extensive kharif damage in Marathwada, Vidarbha and western Maharashtra. An 11-member inter-ministerial team from the Centre visited affected areas, including Solapur and Ahilyanagar districts, between October 8 and October 11 to assess crop damage and water availability.
Activists noted that rabi sowing is low in some drought-affected areas due to poor soil moisture and lack of funds for seeds and fertiliser. Agriculture activist Anil Ghanwat said some women labourers are travelling over 50 km to find farm work, while activist Uddhav Ghodke said village work is scarce and not all farmers can migrate.