State to Begin Relief Measures Without Waiting for Centre’s Assistance; Preliminary Drought Notification to Be Issued by Saturday
Mumbai, September 2026 : The Maharashtra government will constitute a Cabinet sub-committee headed by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule to recommend and oversee measures to tackle the drought-like situation in parts of the state, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced on Tuesday.
Fadnavis said the state government would provide assistance to farmers without waiting for financial support from the Centre. A preliminary notification regarding the drought-like situation will also be issued by Saturday, he said.
The announcement came after a state Cabinet meeting at Mantralaya, where the rainfall situation, water storage in dams and the condition of agricultural crops were reviewed in detail. Speaking to media representatives after the meeting, the Chief Minister said the government had begun collecting preliminary information on drought conditions across the state.
The Cabinet sub-committee has been constituted to enable the government to take speedy decisions on assistance to farmers based on the information received from different parts of the state. The committee will have powers equivalent to those of the Cabinet.
The committee will be headed by Revenue Minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule. Its members will include Water Resources and Disaster Management Minister Girish Mahajan, Water Supply and Sanitation Minister Gulabrao Patil, Soil and Water Conservation Minister Sanjay Rathod, Animal Husbandry Minister Pankaja Munde, Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharane, Rural Development Minister Jaykumar Gore, Transport Minister Pratap Sarnaik, Cooperation Minister Babasaheb Patil and Relief and Rehabilitation Minister Makarand Jadhav-Patil, among others. Chief Secretary Rajesh Aggarwal will serve as the Member Secretary.
The committee will assess information received from across the state and decide which areas are facing drought-like conditions and what assistance and measures should be implemented there.
Fadnavis said instructions had been issued to begin conducting crop and damage assessments, or panchnamas, in drought-affected areas from Wednesday. Soybean, maize and cotton crops have been among those most severely affected, while paddy cultivation in the Konkan region has also faced an adverse impact due to the prevailing conditions.
The Chief Minister said he would personally visit drought-like affected areas across the state from Wednesday. Ministers and elected representatives have also been directed to visit the fields and assess the situation on the ground.
The state government will also submit a proposal to the Centre seeking assistance under the norms of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), Fadnavis said.
Focus on Drinking Water and Fodder
The government will give special attention to the availability of drinking water and fodder for livestock. Planning will be undertaken for the next seven to eight months, with local bodies such as municipal corporations and municipalities coordinating to ensure adequate drinking water supplies.
Fadnavis said the government would begin providing assistance within the state without waiting for the Centre’s response.
The government will also monitor the situation continuously and undertake advance preparations in areas likely to face greater shortages. The preliminary notification on the drought-like situation is expected to facilitate quicker decisions on relief measures.
Record Recruitment Through Competitive Examinations
The Chief Minister also announced that the state government plans to undertake recruitment to a record number of posts through competitive examinations in the near future.
A committee headed by Additional Chief Secretary V. Radha is currently touring the state to examine issues related to competitive examinations. The committee is interacting with students and other stakeholders to understand their concerns and suggestions.
Fadnavis said the committee was doing good work and the government would consider its recommendations positively.
One of the key demands being raised before the committee is that competitive examinations should be conducted in an objective, multiple-choice format rather than the descriptive format currently under consideration. The Dalvi Committee had earlier recommended shifting examinations from the objective format to the descriptive format, following which the decision was taken.
The Chief Minister said the government would consider students’ legitimate demands regarding the examination pattern in light of the recommendations of the V. Radha Committee.
There have also been complaints regarding the limited number of posts available in Group-C services. Fadnavis said the government intended to fill a record number of vacancies across all categories, including Group-C posts, in the near future.
He added that a decision would also be taken soon on whether to establish a separate mechanism for recruitment to posts in local self-government institutions or conduct such recruitment through the Maharashtra Public Service Commission (MPSC).
Key Decisions
- Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis will begin a tour of the state from Wednesday to assess drought-like conditions.
- The Cabinet sub-committee has been given Cabinet-level powers to take urgent decisions on relief measures.
- Panchnamas will begin in drought-like affected areas from Wednesday.
- Special focus will be placed on drinking water and fodder for livestock.
- The state will begin relief measures without waiting for assistance from the Centre.
- The government will consider decisions on reforms in the MPSC examination system based on the recommendations of the V. Radha Committee.
