Drought declaration won't wipe farmers' tears: Aaditya Thackeray to govt

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray hit out at the Maharashtra govt, saying the mere declaration of drought in 265 talukas is not enough and demanded 'real debt relief' for farmers, not just loan waivers.

Aaditya Thackeray Slams Govt Response

Just a day after the Maharashtra government declared over 265 talukas across the state, Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray on Sunday hit out at the state government, saying that just the mere declaration of drought will not “wipe away the farmers’ tears”. Thackeray said that mere loan waivers would not suffice, as there should be real debt relief given to farmers. “Regardless of the delay, the state government has declared drought in 265 talukas. But merely declaring drought on paper will not wipe away the farmers' tears,” Thackeray posted on X. Aaditya Thackeray visited the drought the affected farmers in the Parbhani taluka in the marathawada region on the second day of his ‘drought inspection tour’.

"Today is the second day of my drought inspection tour. Farmers expect help from the government. Not just loan waivers, they want 'debt relief'!" he added.

Government Declares Drought

The Maharashtra Government on Saturday declared 265 Talukas in the state as drought-affected and announced various Measures Implemented to provide relief to farmers. In an official notification the Maharashtra Government said, "Based on the shortfall in rainfall during the Kharif 2026 season and other drought criteria, Trigger-1 (First Alert) has been implemented in 265 talukas across the state, leading the state government to declare a drought in these talukas and decide to implement various measures and concessions. The Relief and Rehabilitation Department has issued a government resolution in this regard. In the drought situation, farmers, farm labourers, and toilers in the state are at the centre of our assistance efforts. All possible efforts will be made to provide them relief."

Congress Questions Data-Centre Expansion

Earlier today, Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pawan Khera has questioned the Maharashtra government's plans to expand the state's data-centre infrastructure amid the declaration of drought in 265 of its 358 talukas, raising concerns over the allocation of water resources among agriculture, households and industrial use In a post on X, Khera said, “Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has officially declared drought in 265 of Maharashtra’s 358 talukas - nearly 75% of the state. And this is happening as Maharashtra aggressively expands its data-centre industry.”

Khera said the state had attracted more than USD 300 billion in investment interest for data centres and was targeting 5.7 GW of data-centre capacity by 2032. He pointed out that data centres require significant amounts of power and water, with water consumption depending on the cooling technology used. (ANI)

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