With large parts of southern India facing significant rainfall shortages, demands for drought declaration and compensation for farmers are intensifying across Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The developments come as the southwest monsoon has begun withdrawing, raising concerns over crop losses, rural incomes, livestock and employment.
According to the India Meteorological Department’s September 20 rainfall assessment, India’s overall monsoon rainfall deficit stood at 15%, with the southern peninsula recording the highest deficit of 28%. The deficit was 26% in east and northeast India, 9% in northwest India and 5% in central India.
The Drought Monitoring Portal shows acute rainfall shortages across large parts of Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu. Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh are also facing rainfall deficits.
The southwest monsoon began withdrawing from parts of West Rajasthan on September 19. The widening rainfall deficit has triggered demands for immediate relief rather than waiting for formal drought criteria.
CPI(M) seeks drought declaration in Andhra Pradesh
In Andhra Pradesh, the CPI(M) has demanded immediate declaration of drought-hit mandals and a special relief package for farmers, tenant farmers and agricultural labourers. Addressing a press conference in Vijayawada on Sunday, CPI(M) State secretary V. Srinivasa Rao said the situation had worsened despite warnings about severe El Niño conditions. He said Left parties had visited drought-hit areas and highlighted the problems faced by farmers, agricultural labourers and tenant farmers.
The party said farmer, agricultural labourer and tenant farmer organisations had called for protests from September 21, while the state government had indicated that drought-hit mandals would be declared on October 1. Rao said the government should act immediately rather than wait for conditions to deteriorate.
Rao said around 50 lakh acres had been sown but there was little prospect of obtaining yields from even 20 lakh acres. The CPI(M) demanded a loan waiver, 200 days of employment under MGNREGS and wages of at least Rs 2310 a day, as fixed by the government. It also sought compensation of Rs 7.5 lakh for every drought-affected tenant farmer family and establishment of fodder centres for livestock.
The CPI(M) demanded that the Centre declare drought a national disaster and provide a Rs 1 lakh crore package. Rao also questioned whether Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan and HRD Minister N. Lokesh, who were travelling to attract investments, could visit drought-hit areas and meet distressed farmers.
Karnataka farmers threaten September 28 protests
In Karnataka, the Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) has threatened massive protests at all district headquarters on September 28 if the special session of the state legislature fails to address the drought crisis. Addressing a press conference in Mysuru on Sunday, KRRS leader Badagalapura Nagendra said farmers would demonstrate outside Deputy Commissioners’ offices and gherao elected representatives if they encountered them in public.
A three-day special session of the state legislature began in Bengaluru on September 21. Nagendra welcomed the session but said it would be meaningless unless it resulted in concrete measures to address the severe drought. The Karnataka government has described the drought as the worst the state has faced in 140 years.
Nagendra criticised the Centre and state governments over what he described as neglect of the drought and said authorities were relying on outdated norms for assessing drought. He demanded that the state use its own resources to provide relief.
KRRS has sought a farm-loan waiver, with the Centre and state sharing the cost in a 50:50 ratio, and asked banks to stop loan recovery. It also demanded priority for agriculture and at least seven hours of electricity supply to agricultural pump sets, as promised by the government.
The organisation called for efforts to fill lakes and tanks and sought scientific assessment of crop losses. It also demanded that insurance companies deposit the full crop-loss compensation into farmers’ bank accounts.
The organisation demanded immediate payment of pending dues to farmers for paddy, maize and ragi procured through procurement centres, with the money deposited directly into farmers’ bank accounts. To prevent migration in search of work, Nagendra said employment under the rural employment guarantee scheme should be provided close to people’s places of residence.
Pawar seeks Rs 50,000 per hectare in Maharashtra
Former Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar last week urged Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to declare drought immediately, citing prolonged rainfall deficiency and growing farmer distress. He said talukas facing severe conditions should be declared drought-like and relief measures implemented without delay. Pawar sought financial assistance of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare for affected farmers and Rs 25,000 per agricultural labourer family.
Three farmers were detained in Akola on Sunday when they tried to hand over soybean plants to State Agriculture Minister Dattatray Bharne, demanding that the district be declared drought-hit. The three farmers brought soybean plants to the meeting to draw the government’s attention to crop losses caused by deficient rainfall in the region.
The protest highlighted the damage to kharif crops due to inadequate rainfall in Akola district and the difficulties faced by farmers. The farmers demanded that the district be declared drought-hit and that relief measures be implemented for affected farmers.