Drought In 66% Of State, Government Decides To Include More 224 Revenue Circles In The List
The state government of Maharashtra has decided to expand the list of areas affected by the drought by adding 224 more revenue circles, or administrative groups of villages, to its list. This decision was made since the monsoon season of 2023 brought less than 75% of the usual rainfall to certain areas. This means that, of the 2292 revenue circles in all, 1532—or 66% of the state—have officially declared a drought.
Automated weather stations (AWS) are in place in 2068 of Maharashtra’s 2292 revenue circles to track local rainfall. Out of 356 tehsils, 40 had been declared drought by the government on October 31, 2023. Of those, 287 revenue circles had rainfall that dropped short of the 75% requirement. Following the upheaval, Members of Legislation from every political party pushed for expanding the drought proclamation to include regions with precipitation shortfalls determined by revenue circle rainfall. The state government added 1021 more income circles to the drought-affected districts on November 10 in response to the public outcry, bringing the total to 1308.
The list of places affected by the drought was expanded to include more than 224 revenue circles by an order issued by the government on February 16. “It was being considered to declare a drought in revenue circles that do not have AWS but have had lower rainfall. Therefore, permission has been granted to incorporate 224 revenue circles—which were created through the partition of previous revenue circles—into the drought-affected areas that have received less rainfall,” according to the government’s directive. The order goes on to say that as a result, all 224 of the drought-affected areas will receive the benefits that were previously granted to the earlier revenue circles included in the list of drought-affected areas, such as a 33.5% reduction in farmers’ electricity bills, a concession in students’ exam fees, and the ability to continue collecting crop loans from farmers.
“With the addition of these 224 revenue circles to the list, there are now 1532 revenue circles that are affected by the drought. The 19 districts that comprise these extra 224 revenue circles are divided into 17 districts each from Northern Maharashtra, Western Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Vidarbha. The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) will provide cash for the revenue circle under drought (where the entire tehsil is not covered by drought), and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) will provide funds for drought mitigation in 40 tehsils,” stated a representative of the department of relief and rehabilitation.
“With the addition of these 224 revenue circles to the list, there are now 1532 revenue circles that are affected by the drought. The 19 districts that comprise these extra 224 revenue circles are divided into 17 districts each from Northern Maharashtra, Western Maharashtra, Marathwada, and Vidarbha. The State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) will provide cash for the revenue circle under drought (where the entire tehsil is not covered by drought), and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) will provide funds for drought mitigation in 40 tehsils,” stated a representative of the department of relief and rehabilitation.
