Maharashtra declared drought in 265 of 358 talukas, covering 74% of the state. Opposition parties questioned the delay in direct financial aid for farmers.Maharashtra’s Opposition parties on Saturday questioned the lack of direct financial assistance for farmers as the Devendra Fadnavis government declared drought in 265 of the state’s 358 talukas, covering nearly 75 per cent of Maharashtra.NCP (SP) senior leader Mahesh Tapase demanded that the Fadnavis government clarify when and how much interim and actual crop-loss compensation would reach drought-hit farmers.Tapase pointed out that the Government Resolution (GR) provides for measures including land revenue exemption, crop loan restructuring, deferment of loan recovery, concessions in agricultural electricity bills, examination fee waivers, relaxation of employment guarantee scheme norms, water tankers, and fodder and drinking water arrangements. However, he said, it did not provide immediate monetary compensation for crop losses, which had been deferred to a separate GR after panchnamas (field-level crop damage surveys) were completed.“The government has declared drought in 265 out of 358 talukas and yet, in the very same order, it says compensation for the farmers’ actual losses will come ‘later’, after further paperwork and survey. Farmers whose crops have already failed cannot survive on promises of a future GR,” Tapase said.Tapase said NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar had flagged the issue in his letter to the Chief Minister on September 16 and demanded an immediate relief package of at least Rs 50,000 per hectare along with other measures. He said the Government Resolution offered a list of procedural concessions while deferring direct financial relief.Shiv Sena (UBT) MLA Aaditya Thackeray also criticised the government, saying the drought declaration should have come earlier.“This decision should have been taken much earlier. Better late than never, drought has been declared; now, instead of remaining on paper, the drought relief package announced by the government must reach the bank account of every farmer at the grass-roots level. The administration must ensure that not a single eligible farmer is deprived of aid,” he demanded.Story continues below this adThackeray said farmers had yet to receive compensation in several cases.“During our tenure, assistance reached right to the farmers’ doorsteps. However, despite the Super El Niño crisis and the impact of heavy rains from last year, farmers have still not received compensation. It is unfortunate that the crop insurance payouts for the past two to three years have also not been credited to many farmers’ accounts. The government should stop arguing about ‘what we did versus what you did’ and bring transparency to the distribution of aid,” he said.