Mumbai, Sep 26 (PTI) The Maharashtra government on Saturday declared 265 of the 358 talukas in the state as drought-affected, announcing relief measures, including restructuring of crop loans, concession in land revenue and deferment of recovery of agriculture-related loans. According to a government resolution issued late on Friday, this covers 74 per cent of the state.The decision follows Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis's recent visit to some drought-affected parts of the state.The state government has activated 'Trigger-1' under its manual for drought management 2016 (updated in 2020) and Drought Management Code to declare drought conditions and initiate relief.

Trigger-1 is the first stage in the state's drought framework, activated by a rainfall deficit of more than 25 per cent combined with a prolonged dry spell of 21 days.A report submitted by the Agriculture Commissioner found drought-like conditions in the 265 talukas across 32 districts due to rainfall deficit and other factors since June.Most of the drought-affected talukas are in Solapur, Ahilyanagar, Nashik, Latur, Beed, Buldhana, Amravati, Yavatmal, Nagpur and Chandrapur.The government has directed district collectors to begin crop-loss assessments in the affected talukas and collect photographs and GPS coordinates of the surveyed areas to document crop conditions. The reports are to be submitted to the government through the agriculture commissioner.

The government has announced a slew of relief measures, including land revenue concessions, restructuring of crop loans, postponement of recovery of agriculture-related loans and concessions in electricity bills of agricultural pumps.The GR stated that electricity bills of agricultural pumps up to 7.5 horsepower had already been waived, and the newly announced concession would apply to pumps above that capacity in the affected areas.The measures also include waiver of examination fees for school and college students, relaxation of norms under the Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to enable maximum works, deployment of water tankers wherever necessary and ensuring uninterrupted power supply to agricultural pumps in villages affected by water scarcity.Arrangements will also be made to ensure foodgrains for farmers and labourers dependent on agriculture, and adequate fodder for livestock.

Water conservation works and arrangements for drinking water for people and livestock will also be undertaken, the government stated.A government order on Saturday said that a separate GR will be issued on financial assistance for crop losses suffered by farmers in the 265 drought-affected talukas after completion of the prescribed procedure.As per government data, the state recorded an 18.8 per cent rainfall deficit, receiving actual rainfall of 755.9 mm from June to September 18, compared to its average of 932.3 mm, amid the El Nino phenomenon.According to state government data, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division recorded 424.5 mm rainfall against the normal expected rainfall of 613.1 mm from June 1 to September 18, marking a deficit of 30.8 per cent.Dharashiv and five other districts in Marathwada fall under the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar division.

The Pune and Nashik divisions also recorded around a 30 per cent rain deficit, while the Amravati and Nagpur divisions recorded a 27 per cent rain deficit. The Konkan division recorded a 6.3 per cent rain deficit.At least six districts recorded a rainfall deficit of 40-50 per cent, including Amravati, Solapur and Latur.During the Kharif season, farmers in the state sow crops like soybean, cotton, millet, maize, tur, moong, and urad. Farmers in several districts have complained of crop failure due to lack of rainfall, and the incidence of pests and diseases has also increased.On September 16, farmers in many districts held protests, seeking drought relief measures and compensation for crop loss. /Agencies