Sharad Pawar writes to CM Fadnavis, demands drought be declared, lists 9 demands

Farmers in many parts of the state are facing mounting problems after rain failed over the past several days. Insufficient rainfall has scorched crops including soyabean, cotton, bajra, maize, tur, moong and urad, and pest and disease incidence has now risen on these crops. Alongside farming, the availability of drinking water and fodder for cattle has also become a serious concern.

Taking note of the situation, senior NCP leader Sharad Pawar has written an urgent letter to Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis. Bringing the problems of farmers and rural people to the government's attention, he has demanded that drought be declared in the state. Pawar said in the letter that drought should be declared immediately without waiting for formal criteria to be met.

Pawar has raised nine major demands in the letter. The first is that talukas facing serious conditions be immediately declared drought-affected and drought relief measures applied there. The second is that farmers be given assistance of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare and farm labourer families be given special assistance of Rs 25,000 each.

The third demand is that the loan waiver scheme be implemented immediately and crop loans made available to farmers, that the incentive subsidy for farmers who repay loans regularly be raised from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh, and that farmers who took loans in 2025-26 and have since defaulted also be included in the loan waiver. The fourth demand is that the crop insurance scheme at Re 1 be applied retrospectively, and that the Rs 17,000 per hectare assistance announced for last year's unseasonal rain damage be disbursed immediately.

The fifth demand is that farming and water conservation works be taken up under the employment guarantee scheme in drought-affected talukas, and that tankers be started to save orchards. The sixth demand is that a survey be conducted of villages facing water scarcity and that tankers and fodder camps be started there, along with water and veterinary services for cattle. The seventh demand is that a drive be carried out to repair electricity transformers to reduce the burden of load-shedding. The eighth demand is that control rooms be set up at the state and district level to monitor rainfall, crop condition, water scarcity, and the fodder and cattle situation. The ninth demand is that in schools and colleges in drought-hit talukas, not just examination fees but the full tuition fee for students be waived.

With rural life caught in crisis, Sharad Pawar has expressed the hope that the Chief Minister will take a positive decision on all these demands and act on them without delay.