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Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar : A central team will fan out across drought-hit pockets of Marathwada from Friday to assess the severity of the rainfall deficit, water scarcity, crop damage and fodder availability. Its findings will help determine Maharashtra ’s case for assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). The team will spend two days inspecting affected areas in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna and Beed districts. The visit comes amid concerns over drinking water availability for the coming months, possible dependence on tankers, fodder shortages, migration and distress among farmers and agricultural workers.
The inter-ministerial team, headed by Mukundan Agrawal, joint secretary in the Union agriculture ministry, reached Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar late on Thursday.
The team will begin its ground inspection at 9 am Friday, covering Shendra and Nanegaon in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district and Kingaon Wadi, Jamkhed in Badnapur taluka and Ambad in Jalna district. Stay updated with the latest Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar news. Officials also presented district-wise data on rainfall, crop damage, drinking-water sources and fodder availability, along with projections for the next seven months. Officials will brief the team on rainfall, crop conditions and water availability. The team will then head to Beed and visit drought-hit areas of Gevrai taluka, including Ardhmasla and Pargaon Japti, before halting there overnight. It will later hold a review meeting with the Beed collector before returning to Navi Mumbai via Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. The Marathwada visit is part of a wider central assessment of Maharashtra’s drought situation. A second team is covering Ahilyanagar and Solapur, while another is inspecting Yavatmal, Washim and adjoining scarcity-hit areas of Vidarbha. Download the TOI App.
On Saturday, the team will visit Manjarsumba, Khandala, Vaidya Kinhi, Sonegaon and areas of Patoda taluka.
Chief secretary Rajesh Agrawal highlighted the impact of deficient rainfall and the possibility of villages requiring tanker water in the months ahead. State govt flagged these concerns in a presentation to the central team in Mumbai on Thursday.