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Agriculture
Maharashtra MLA Rohit Pawar calls drought ‘worse than 1972’, urges immediate relief for farmers
✍️ Mid-Day
🗓 29 Sep 2026, 07:16 AM
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NCP (SP) MLA Rohit Pawar warned that the current drought in Maharashtra is more severe than the historic 1972 event and appealed to the state government for urgent assistance to distressed farmers.
Maharashtra legislator Rohit Pawar, representing the Nationalist Congress Party (Splinter), said the present drought conditions surpass those of the infamous 1972 drought that devastated the state. In a press interaction, Pawar highlighted falling monsoon rains, depleted groundwater levels and crop failures across key agricultural districts.
He urged the state government to launch an emergency relief package, including cash assistance, free electricity for irrigation and expedited release of crop insurance payouts. Pawar warned that without swift intervention, farmer suicides and mass migration could rise sharply.
The MLA’s appeal comes as agricultural officials report that more than half of the state’s cultivated area is facing water stress, prompting concerns over food security and rural livelihoods.
Pawar also called on the central government to consider additional credit facilities and procurement guarantees to stabilize market prices for affected produce.
The demand for immediate aid reflects growing pressure on Maharashtra’s leadership as the drought’s impact widens across the region.
He urged the state government to launch an emergency relief package, including cash assistance, free electricity for irrigation and expedited release of crop insurance payouts. Pawar warned that without swift intervention, farmer suicides and mass migration could rise sharply.
The MLA’s appeal comes as agricultural officials report that more than half of the state’s cultivated area is facing water stress, prompting concerns over food security and rural livelihoods.
Pawar also called on the central government to consider additional credit facilities and procurement guarantees to stabilize market prices for affected produce.
The demand for immediate aid reflects growing pressure on Maharashtra’s leadership as the drought’s impact widens across the region.