Pune, Oct 2 (IANS): Amid worsening drought conditions across parts of Maharashtra, Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) President Sharad Pawar on Friday launched a tour of affected regions in Pune district to inspect crop damage and engage directly with farmers.
Focusing on the heavily impacted talukas of Baramati, Purandar, and Daund, Pawar visited farmlands to assess ground realities.
While interacting with local residents in Parinche village in Purandar taluka, the veteran leader urged the state government to immediately grant a 100 per cent farm loan waiver along with urgent relief measures.
Addressing villagers in Parinche, Pawar highlighted the growing crisis. “The lack of rainfall has made survival a challenge for both farmers and livestock. On September 27, I wrote to the Chief Minister demanding that Purandar and other excluded talukas be formally declared drought-hit. My priority right now is pushing the government to take fast action to save the remaining standing crops,” he said.
Pawar noted that while the state government has declared drought in specific areas, several affected regions, including Purandar, remain off the official list. He stressed that the scale of the crisis requires state-level intervention.
He demanded the inclusion of left-out talukas, such as Purandar, into the state’s official drought-assistance framework and a 100 per cent waiver of agricultural and allied loans for affected farmers.
Pawar assured villagers that he would personally meet Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to place their specific demands directly before the administration.
Recalling earlier discussions with the government, Pawar mentioned that CM Fadnavis had agreed to evaluate ground feedback. “I informed the Chief Minister that I am personally touring villages to collect input,” Pawar told the gathering. “I assure you that I will meet him shortly, present your issues, and push for a swift resolution,” he said.
Pawar, in a letter to CM Fadnavis, demanded an urgent government intervention and a 17-point relief package to assist farmers, agricultural labourers, and students following the state’s declaration of drought across 265 talukas.
Highlighting the severe agricultural distress and economic hardships faced by rural populations across affected regions, Pawar urged the administration to expand existing aid programmes and implement immediate support mechanisms ahead of the upcoming festival season.
He urged the government to declare all remaining affected talukas as drought-hit, and completely waive land revenue charges across the state, waive all agricultural loans and occupational credit extended to farmers, farm labourers, self-help groups (SHGs), and micro-enterprises across cooperative, nationalised, urban, and social welfare financial institutions.
He also demanded that the government write off agricultural pump electricity bills, completely and strictly prohibit power disconnections or load-shedding in designated drought-affected areas and exempt affected school and college students from tuition, hostel, and mess fees.
The NCP(SP) chief further called for relaxing Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (erstwhile MGNREGA) norms to immediately begin local employment works within a 3 km radius of demand, delegation of immediate administrative sanctioning authority for drinking water tankers — for both citizens and livestock — directly to Tehsildars and providing 25 kg of free foodgrains per family for farm laborers and agricultural households, and directly credit subsidies into bank accounts for livestock care.
He also demanded disbursement of an immediate financial relief of Rs 1,00,000 per hectare for farmers and Rs 25,000 for landless agricultural labourers, extension of an urgent economic aid and water tanker supplies for affected fruit orchards (banana, sugarcane, paddy) and, instantly, release all pending scheme dues to beneficiaries and route entire relief funds directly to Divisional Commissioners and District Collectors.
Pawar urged CM Fadnavis to convene a three-day special session of the Maharashtra State Legislature to deliberate thoroughly on the drought situation, finalise key policy decisions, and ensure all financial assistance reaches affected citizens before the Dussehra and Diwali festivals.
