The Maharashtra government is preparing to submit a formal memorandum to the central government within the next 48 hours seeking urgent financial assistance for widespread crop failures caused by a deficient monsoon, after completing a crop-loss assessment exercise covering nearly 30 million site visits with mandatory geo-tagged photographs of damaged crops, Mirror Now reported on Sunday.

Source: Mirror Now

Drought has been officially declared in 305 of the state's 358 tehsils. State Agriculture Commissioner Suraj Mandhare said the department has finalised the data compilation, covering 100 per cent of the affected areas, while Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne said approximately 97 per cent of the crop panchanamas — the field-level damage records — have been completed and the findings are now being consolidated to support the state's demand.

Source: Mirror Now

Bharne had told reporters in Pune on October 30 that the panchanamas in the drought-declared talukas were in the final stage and the extent of crop damage would become clear once the remaining surveys were completed within days, adding that the state would work with the Centre to provide the maximum possible assistance to affected farmers and that the Rs 5,000 advance assistance announced before Diwali would reach farmers.

Source: Urban Acres (via Lokmat)

305 of 358Tehsils declared drought-hit
~30 millionCrop site visits for assessment
97%Panchanamas completed
11 membersCentral assessment team

An 11-member inter-ministerial central team visited the state between October 8 and 11, touring districts including Ahilyanagar and Solapur to inspect standing crops, water reserves and livestock fodder. The Centre had constituted the team, headed by Joint Secretary Muktanand Agrawal, after Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis submitted an interim report seeking assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund, The Hindu BusinessLine reported earlier.

Source: The Hindu BusinessLine

The state first declared drought in 265 talukas on September 26 and later expanded the list to 305, announcing an advance of Rs 5,000 per affected farmer before Diwali along with the standard drought concessions, including crop-loan restructuring, land revenue relief and electricity-bill concessions. The memorandum now being finalised will set out the state's consolidated claim for central assistance; officials have not announced the amount the new memorandum will seek.