Mumbai, April 7 (IANS) The Maharashtra Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, said on Tuesday that Rs 128.65 crore has been disbursed to farmers affected by unseasonal rains in the state.

The aid targets losses incurred between October and December 2025.

The state government has also confirmed that damage assessments (panchnamas) for the more recent spells of unseasonal weather in early 2026 are currently in progress.

The unseasonal rainfall during the final quarter of 2025 caused widespread agricultural distress.

The state government will provide aid to 1,80,574 farmers for the 1,14,752 hectares of agricultural land affected due to unseasonal rains in Chandrapur, Dhule, Gadchiroli, Jalgaon, Nashik, Raigad, and Sindhudurg districts.

The state has faced continuous weather challenges since the start of the new year.

The state Cabinet reviewed the preliminary data for the unseasonal rains occurring between January and April 2026.

More than 1.45 lakh hectares were affected, impacting 2.33 lakh farmers.

Major crops damaged include bananas, onions, papayas, mangoes, grapes, wheat, gram, and jowar.

According to the preliminary assessment by the state government due to unseasonal rains and hailstorm in April this year, 1.94 lakh farmers have already faced losses across 1.22 lakh hectares.

Around five fatalities and nine injuries were reported due to the weather. Additionally, 36 livestock deaths occurred.

The state government has fast-tracked the panchnama process for these months to ensure timely assistance.

The State Water Resources Department also presented a progress report during the session, highlighting massive infrastructure growth since July 2022.

Around 41 projects have been completed, creating a storage capacity of 105 TMC and adding 2.95 lakh hectares to the state’s irrigation potential.

Since July 2022, administrative and revised approvals have been granted to 225 projects worth Rs 4.35 lakh crore.

“Once these projects are finalised, the state expects to create a total irrigation capacity of 33.45 lakh hectares,” the government statement said.

The state government remains committed to supporting the agricultural sector through both immediate disaster relief and long-term irrigation infrastructure, the statement added.

–IANS

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