3 days ago
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The Maharashtra authorities connected Thursday (May 21, 2026) informed that loans of farmers volition beryllium waived disconnected earlier June 30, stating that it is apt to witnesser a rainfall shortage of astir 12% this monsoon play owed to El Niño.
“So far, the forecast shows that the State volition person mean of 88% of rainfall. Some regions are apt to person much rainfall, portion successful others, rainfall volition beryllium scarce. The problems volition look successful Western Vidarbha and Marathwada,” said Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, adding that the authorities is inducing technology-based solutions to combat debased rainfall conditions.
According to the Agriculture Department, the Kharif play is the biggest play successful Maharashtra, arsenic 152 lakh hectares of country are nether cultivation. Among which, 88 lakh hectares comprise the cultivation of Soyabean and cotton, followed by sugarcane. The large situation volition beryllium debased rainfall owed to El Niño and availability of fertiliser owed to the ongoing war.
On Thursday, Mr. Fadnavis held a “State-Level Pre-Kharif Season Review” gathering and a gathering with the Bank Committee connected the presumption of indebtedness waiver and indebtedness organisation for the coming Kharif season. The Maharashtra authorities announced a indebtedness waiver nether the scheme Punyashlok Ahilyadevi Holkar Shetkari Karjmafi Yojana, connected March 6, arsenic portion of the State Budget 2026–27. Under the scheme, up to ₹2 lakh connected harvest loans volition beryllium waived off, and a ₹50,000 inducement volition beryllium fixed to farmers who person consistently repaid loans connected time.
After the meeting, Mr. Fadnavis pointed retired that nationalised banks are strictly instructed to conscionable their people of 80% indebtedness disbursement successful the cultivation assemblage and prohibited banks from demanding CIBIL scores for harvest loans.
Gramin banks and District Central Cooperative Banks provides 66% of loans to farmers, portion nationalised banks slope covers 26% loans to farmers. We person told the nationalised slope to conscionable the people of 80%,” said Mr. Fadnavis.
He besides highlighted its collaboration with organisations operating upwind forecasting systems successful India. The region-wise rainfall accusation done mobile applications and artificial intelligence-based systems volition beryllium provided to the farmers to recognize rainfall successful their respective areas, arsenic the Maharashtra State Disaster Management Authority has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.
Maharashtra has besides go the archetypal State to integrate the Bharat Forecast System (BharatFS) into its catastrophe absorption framework. Mr. Fadnavis said, “The IMD’s indigenous upwind forecasting exemplary volition amended real-time decision-making during disasters arsenic it has the capableness to forecast upwind for arsenic tiny arsenic a 6 km by 6 km range.”
