74% of Maharashtra declared drought-hit: loans stayed, Rs 6,728 crore promised

The scale of Maharashtra's 2026 drought is now official and staggering. The state government has declared drought conditions in 265 of its 358 talukas, roughly 74 per cent of the state, opening the way for relief measures as local administrations assess crop damage, drinking-water needs and fodder availability. The crisis is particularly cruel because rainfall was uneven rather than uniformly poor, leaving neighbouring districts with sharply different fortunes. On October 1, the government of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced a sweeping relief package. All agricultural loan recoveries across drought-declared regions have been stayed with immediate effect. Banks have been directed to restructure existing crop loans by April 30, 2027, while keeping fresh crop credit fully accessible. Rs 6,728 crore was unlocked under the Employment Guarantee Scheme. Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule, who heads the drought relief sub-committee, instructed district collectors and police to prevent bank and credit-society agents from approaching farmers for loan recovery during the crisis, an unusually firm administrative stance toward lenders. Over 305 talukas were brought under the state's 'Trigger-1' drought mitigation measures. But a declaration is the easy part; the relief is where governments are tested. The government has told local administrations to conduct damage assessments and implement relief, and farmers will be watching the speed and accuracy of those surveys, because compensation and assistance depend heavily on official records. Political debate has already erupted over talukas excluded from the initial list. The government says needy areas will be considered through subsequent assessments, the standard promise that farmers have heard before. The national picture is no better. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge wrote to Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Shah on October 1 seeking Rs 3,705 crore for Karnataka, where 58 per cent rainfall deficiency has left an estimated 31 lakh farming families in distress and losses of nearly Rs 18,750 crore. In Telangana, TRS chief K. Kavitha has appealed to the Prime Minister for 60 lakh drought-hit farmers, demanding free power as emergency support. A drought response must go beyond crop compensation, to drinking water, fodder, livestock protection and rural employment. The coming weeks will test whether Maharashtra can translate a sweeping declaration into assistance at the village level, or whether this remains a press release with taluka names attached.