The Maharashtra government on Saturday, September 26, declared drought in 265 of the state’s 358 talukas, spread across 32 districts. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced the decision after the Agriculture Commissioner’s assessment of rainfall, water stock and crop condition, UNI reported. That puts roughly three-quarters of the state under the drought code for the 2026 kharif season.
Where the drought talukas are
Marathwada carries the heaviest load. The Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar revenue division accounts for 74 of the 265 talukas, followed by Amravati (56), Nashik (49), Nagpur (39) and Pune (35), according to a division-wise breakdown in Navshakti (Free Press Journal Marathi). The Konkan division has only 12, most of them in Sindhudurg. The same report puts the state’s June-September rainfall 18.8% below normal.
A week ago we reported that Marathwada was running about 30% short of rain and that district administrations had started drawing up water-scarcity plans. Saturday’s order turns that paperwork into legal entitlements. The state appointed a cabinet sub-committee under Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule on September 22 and gave it full cabinet powers, so relief decisions can move without waiting for the weekly cabinet meeting.
What the declaration unlocks
The government invoked “Trigger 1” of the Drought Management Code 2016, amended in 2020. In the declared talukas, reports list these measures:
- Restructuring of crop loans, and a halt on recovery of farm loans.
- Concession on land revenue.
- Electricity bill relief for agricultural pumps up to 7.5 HP, with a bar on disconnecting farm pump connections in water-scarce villages.
- Waiver of examination fees for students from the affected talukas.
- Relaxed norms for employment guarantee works, drinking water by tanker, and fodder for cattle.
UNI reported that each district will run a 24-hour war room to track drinking water, crop loss and fodder. Fadnavis and both deputy chief ministers also ordered geo-tagged crop-damage surveys before any direct cash assistance goes out.
What farmers and families should check
First, find your taluka on the list. Several Marathi outlets have published the division-wise list, and tehsil offices will have the government resolution. If your taluka is on it, a bank or cooperative society should not be pressing you for farm-loan instalments now, and the power utility should not cut your pump connection over arrears.
Second, watch the panchanama. Bawankule said talathis and agriculture officers must inspect crops in the fields and read the records aloud before the gram sabha, so that no eligible farmer gets left out, Pudhari reported. The reading gives a farmer whose name is missing a chance to raise it before any payment list is drawn up.
Third, parents of students in these talukas should ask the school or college how the exam-fee waiver will apply to them. The government resolution sets out the mechanics, and institutions carry it out.
The 93 talukas left out
The exclusions have already drawn complaints. Sarkarnama’s district-wise list of the 93 excluded talukas includes large parts of the Konkan coast, five talukas each in Nashik and Pune districts, and 23 talukas across Vidarbha districts such as Chandrapur, Gadchiroli and Bhandara. Pune’s Mulshi, Maval and Junnar drew particular attention.
Bawankule has called Saturday’s list preliminary. He said a second list will follow, that villages with 33% or more crop damage will qualify, and that he will review the position with all district collectors by video conference every Tuesday at 5 pm, according to Pudhari. Farmers in excluded talukas should make sure their crop loss is recorded in the current round of surveys, because that record will decide whether their village makes the second list.
What to watch
Three things decide how much of this reaches farmers: the second list, the pace of the geo-tagged surveys, and whether the state follows Trigger 1 with a final declaration that lets it seek central assistance. The Tuesday reviews will show how quickly collectors are moving. We will track the second list when it comes.
Sources: UNI, Navshakti (Free Press Journal), Pudhari, Sarkarnama, Business Standard
This report was written with AI assistance from the publicly reported sources linked here; each fact was cross-checked against at least two of them.