Central team tours Maharashtra to evaluate drought and shape relief package

An eleven-person central inter-ministerial group started a four-day inspection tour of Maharashtra on Thursday, divided into three teams covering Western Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha. The squads will visit districts including Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Beed, Jalna, Ahilyanagar, Solapur, Pune, Nagpur and Yavatmal, conducting ground checks on the drought’s impact. The mission follows Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis’s meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah, where he asked for ₹17,500 crore of interim relief.

The team will compile a report for the National Disaster Response Force, which will weigh it against the state’s demand of ₹13,000 crore for crop losses and ₹4,500 crore for fodder management. A final briefing with state representatives is scheduled in Mumbai on Sunday.