Maharashtra Forms Cabinet Panel For Drought Relief As CM Devendra Fadnavis Announces Field Assessments And Aid Measures

Mumbai: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has announced the formation of a Cabinet sub-committee to swiftly address drought relief and mitigation measures across the state. Led by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, the committee will have Cabinet-level decision-making powers to determine necessary aid based on ground-level assessments.

The sub-committee will review reports from various departments, including Water Resources, Disaster Management, and Agriculture, to identify affected areas and decide on appropriate relief methods. Chief Secretary Rajesh Agarwal will serve as the member secretary of the committee. The Chief Minister announced that a preliminary drought notification would be issued by Saturday, with officials beginning 'panchnamas' (field assessments of crop damage) in drought-affected regions from Wednesday.

Fadnavis emphasized that simply declaring drought is insufficient; urgent actions are required to mitigate the impact on crops such as soybean, maize, and cotton, as well as paddy cultivation in Konkan. The government aims to offer priority support for drinking water and livestock fodder, planning to cover the next seven to eight months.