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Shadow of drought even in heavy rains: Fadnavis government faces hurdles in declaring 'wet drought'
Mumbai, September 30, 2025: Heavy rains have wreaked havoc in many districts of Maharashtra for the past few weeks. Due to heavy rains, rivers and streams burst, hundreds of villages were submerged and farmers' crops were damaged immensely. This horrific situation is now known as 'wet drought', in which even heavy rains cause damage to agriculture. There is a demand from across the state to officially declare this wet drought, but Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while explaining the difficulties in the rules, said that such a declaration has never been made till date. No concrete decision has been taken in this regard in the cabinet meeting, yet the government has decided to implement concessions as drought shortages.
The havoc of rains continues in Maharashtra. More than 200 percent of the average rainfall has been recorded in Konkan, West Maharashtra and Marathwada regions. Hundreds of hectares of agriculture have been affected by the flooding of rivers in Vidarbha's Amravati, Washim and Yavatmal districts. According to farmers, crops like soybean, cotton, paddy and vegetables have been damaged, and crops have been submerged in water in many places. As this is affecting the income of farmers, the demand for declaring a wet drought is intensifying from farmers' organizations and opposition parties. The Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (UBT) and other opposition leaders have criticized the government in this regard and demanded immediate relief.
The cabinet meeting was held in Mumbai on Tuesday (September 30), in which this important issue was expected to be discussed. However, speaking after the meeting, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that the demand for declaring a wet drought cannot be fully supported. "There is a continuous demand to declare a wet drought. But, there is no wet drought anywhere in the rules. Till date, a wet drought has never been declared," Fadnavis said. His statement is expressing displeasure among farmers and political circles. Fadnavis further said that the problems of farmers cannot be ignored. Therefore, the state cabinet has decided to apply all the concessions and measures given during drought to this 'drought shortage' situation.
According to this decision, farmers will be able to use crop insurance, loan waiver, concessions on seeds and fertilizers, as well as the disaster relief fund. Fadnavis said, "Implement the drought concessions that were demanded, which means implement all those concessions; that is the decision that has been taken." However, the damage figures in this regard have not been fully collected yet. The damage estimate will be taken in two to four days and within the next week, I will sit down with former Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and take a final decision and announce it, Fadnavis assured. Although the ministers and officials present in the meeting also supported this decision, some ministers said that it is difficult to declare a wet drought due to the central government's rules.
The concept of wet drought has been a topic of discussion in Maharashtra in the last few years. Unlike a normal drought, it takes into account the damage caused to crops due to excessive rainfall. A similar demand was made in 2023 as well, but even then it was not fulfilled due to the rules. Now, this situation has arisen in more than 15 districts due to excessive rainfall in the 2025 season. According to the Agriculture Department report, 40 lakh hectares of agriculture in the state have been affected, and the economic loss is over Rs 10,000 crore. Farmer leaders say that if this announcement is made, farmers will be able to get additional help from the Centre, such as compensation from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). However, the question arises whether the Fadnavis government's 'drought shortage' approach will provide alternative justice to farmers.
The decision is being criticized by opposition parties. Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar (who is now in power) had earlier pinched the government on this issue, while now some leaders from his own party are upset. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, "Farmers are in a drought situation even during heavy rains. The government should not fall under the shadow of the rules. Immediately declare a wet drought." The Congress has also shown its readiness to raise this issue in the Assembly. On the other hand, BJP leaders, while supporting the government's decision, said that this concession is more comprehensive than a wet drought and the farmers will benefit immediately. Agriculture in Maharashtra is the backbone of the economy. 60 percent of the state's population depends on agriculture. Last year too, farmers were hit hard by drought and floods. Now, with a similar situation emerging in 2025, farmer organizations are threatening to take to the streets. Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha leader Ajit Navale said, "The rules need to be changed. If a wet drought is not declared, farmers will be in even more trouble." According to agricultural experts, such incidents will increase due to climate change, so the government should formulate a new policy.
Mumbai, September 30, 2025: Heavy rains have wreaked havoc in many districts of Maharashtra for the past few weeks. Due to heavy rains, rivers and streams burst, hundreds of villages were submerged and farmers' crops were damaged immensely. This horrific situation is now known as 'wet drought', in which even heavy rains cause damage to agriculture. There is a demand from across the state to officially declare this wet drought, but Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, while explaining the difficulties in the rules, said that such a declaration has never been made till date. No concrete decision has been taken in this regard in the cabinet meeting, yet the government has decided to implement concessions as drought shortages.
The havoc of rains continues in Maharashtra. More than 200 percent of the average rainfall has been recorded in Konkan, West Maharashtra and Marathwada regions. Hundreds of hectares of agriculture have been affected by the flooding of rivers in Vidarbha's Amravati, Washim and Yavatmal districts. According to farmers, crops like soybean, cotton, paddy and vegetables have been damaged, and crops have been submerged in water in many places. As this is affecting the income of farmers, the demand for declaring a wet drought is intensifying from farmers' organizations and opposition parties. The Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (UBT) and other opposition leaders have criticized the government in this regard and demanded immediate relief.
The cabinet meeting was held in Mumbai on Tuesday (September 30), in which this important issue was expected to be discussed. However, speaking after the meeting, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that the demand for declaring a wet drought cannot be fully supported. "There is a continuous demand to declare a wet drought. But, there is no wet drought anywhere in the rules. Till date, a wet drought has never been declared," Fadnavis said. His statement is expressing displeasure among farmers and political circles. Fadnavis further said that the problems of farmers cannot be ignored. Therefore, the state cabinet has decided to apply all the concessions and measures given during drought to this 'drought shortage' situation.
According to this decision, farmers will be able to use crop insurance, loan waiver, concessions on seeds and fertilizers, as well as the disaster relief fund. Fadnavis said, "Implement the drought concessions that were demanded, which means implement all those concessions; that is the decision that has been taken." However, the damage figures in this regard have not been fully collected yet. The damage estimate will be taken in two to four days and within the next week, I will sit down with former Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and take a final decision and announce it, Fadnavis assured. Although the ministers and officials present in the meeting also supported this decision, some ministers said that it is difficult to declare a wet drought due to the central government's rules.
The concept of wet drought has been a topic of discussion in Maharashtra in the last few years. Unlike a normal drought, it takes into account the damage caused to crops due to excessive rainfall. A similar demand was made in 2023 as well, but even then it was not fulfilled due to the rules. Now, this situation has arisen in more than 15 districts due to excessive rainfall in the 2025 season. According to the Agriculture Department report, 40 lakh hectares of agriculture in the state have been affected, and the economic loss is over Rs 10,000 crore. Farmer leaders say that if this announcement is made, farmers will be able to get additional help from the Centre, such as compensation from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). However, the question arises whether the Fadnavis government's 'drought shortage' approach will provide alternative justice to farmers.
The decision is being criticized by opposition parties. Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar (who is now in power) had earlier pinched the government on this issue, while now some leaders from his own party are upset. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, "Farmers are in a drought situation even during heavy rains. The government should not fall under the shadow of the rules. Immediately declare a wet drought." The Congress has also shown its readiness to raise this issue in the Assembly. On the other hand, BJP leaders, while supporting the government's decision, said that this concession is more comprehensive than a wet drought and the farmers will benefit immediately. Agriculture in Maharashtra is the backbone of the economy. 60 percent of the state's population depends on agriculture. Last year too, farmers were hit hard by drought and floods. Now, with a similar situation emerging in 2025, farmer organizations are threatening to take to the streets. Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha leader Ajit Navale said, "The rules need to be changed. If a wet drought is not declared, farmers will be in even more trouble." According to agricultural experts, such incidents will increase due to climate change, so the government should formulate a new policy.
The havoc of rains continues in Maharashtra. More than 200 percent of the average rainfall has been recorded in Konkan, West Maharashtra and Marathwada regions. Hundreds of hectares of agriculture have been affected by the flooding of rivers in Vidarbha's Amravati, Washim and Yavatmal districts. According to farmers, crops like soybean, cotton, paddy and vegetables have been damaged, and crops have been submerged in water in many places. As this is affecting the income of farmers, the demand for declaring a wet drought is intensifying from farmers' organizations and opposition parties. The Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena (UBT) and other opposition leaders have criticized the government in this regard and demanded immediate relief.
The cabinet meeting was held in Mumbai on Tuesday (September 30), in which this important issue was expected to be discussed. However, speaking after the meeting, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis clarified that the demand for declaring a wet drought cannot be fully supported. "There is a continuous demand to declare a wet drought. But, there is no wet drought anywhere in the rules. Till date, a wet drought has never been declared," Fadnavis said. His statement is expressing displeasure among farmers and political circles. Fadnavis further said that the problems of farmers cannot be ignored. Therefore, the state cabinet has decided to apply all the concessions and measures given during drought to this 'drought shortage' situation.
According to this decision, farmers will be able to use crop insurance, loan waiver, concessions on seeds and fertilizers, as well as the disaster relief fund. Fadnavis said, "Implement the drought concessions that were demanded, which means implement all those concessions; that is the decision that has been taken." However, the damage figures in this regard have not been fully collected yet. The damage estimate will be taken in two to four days and within the next week, I will sit down with former Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar and take a final decision and announce it, Fadnavis assured. Although the ministers and officials present in the meeting also supported this decision, some ministers said that it is difficult to declare a wet drought due to the central government's rules.
The concept of wet drought has been a topic of discussion in Maharashtra in the last few years. Unlike a normal drought, it takes into account the damage caused to crops due to excessive rainfall. A similar demand was made in 2023 as well, but even then it was not fulfilled due to the rules. Now, this situation has arisen in more than 15 districts due to excessive rainfall in the 2025 season. According to the Agriculture Department report, 40 lakh hectares of agriculture in the state have been affected, and the economic loss is over Rs 10,000 crore. Farmer leaders say that if this announcement is made, farmers will be able to get additional help from the Centre, such as compensation from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). However, the question arises whether the Fadnavis government's 'drought shortage' approach will provide alternative justice to farmers.
The decision is being criticized by opposition parties. Nationalist Congress Party leader Ajit Pawar (who is now in power) had earlier pinched the government on this issue, while now some leaders from his own party are upset. Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut said, "Farmers are in a drought situation even during heavy rains. The government should not fall under the shadow of the rules. Immediately declare a wet drought." The Congress has also shown its readiness to raise this issue in the Assembly. On the other hand, BJP leaders, while supporting the government's decision, said that this concession is more comprehensive than a wet drought and the farmers will benefit immediately. Agriculture in Maharashtra is the backbone of the economy. 60 percent of the state's population depends on agriculture. Last year too, farmers were hit hard by drought and floods. Now, with a similar situation emerging in 2025, farmer organizations are threatening to take to the streets. Maharashtra Rajya Kisan Sabha leader Ajit Navale said, "The rules need to be changed. If a wet drought is not declared, farmers will be in even more trouble." According to agricultural experts, such incidents will increase due to climate change, so the government should formulate a new policy.
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