Mumbai, Oct 1: Against the backdrop of the severe drought-like situation prevailing across 265 talukas in Maharashtra, Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Thursday appealed to the public to celebrate the upcoming Navratri festival and other religious and cultural events with utmost simplicity to stand firmly by the farmers, the nation’s providers.

He also urged Shiv Sena office-bearers, public festival committees (Ganesh and Navratri mandals), and citizens to contribute the funds saved from festival expenditure directly as relief to drought-affected farmers.

“Forego lavish festival celebrations this season and reallocate event funds towards the relief and rehabilitation of drought-affected farmers across Maharashtra,” he said in a post on X.

This year, due to failed rains in Vidarbha, Marathwada and other parts of the state, a shadow of drought has spread across most regions.

With nature’s fury ruining standing crops, thousands of farmers are left devastated.

Speaking on this critical situation, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde reiterated his stance, stating that “our Baliraja (farmers) have the primary right over the state treasury”.

He emphasised that during such times of crisis, the Mahayuti government and the Shiv Sena stand resolutely behind farmers with full strength.

While official government-level relief measures are actively underway, he noted that it is equally vital for everyone to step forward as a society and contribute during this hour of need.

He said celebrating upcoming festivals with grandeur and fanfare while farmers are in distress and anxiety would be inappropriate.

Therefore, public committees, Shiv Sena office-bearers, social organisations, and citizens should observe festivals. Instead of lavish expenditure on celebrations, the saved funds should be redirected towards direct relief and rehabilitation for drought-affected farmers.

Deputy Chief Minister Shinde expressed confidence that if everyone comes to the aid of food providers during their time of crisis, overcoming this natural disaster would be well within reach.

He noted that if saving festival costs allows society to wipe away the tears of even a single farmer and bring a smile to that person’s face, it would truly be genuine service to Goddess Jagadamba.

Reaffirming the Mahayuti administration’s commitment to the farming sector, Deputy Chief Minister Shinde said the government has prioritized mobilizing resources.

However, he called for a broader collective effort to support farmers battling agrarian distress.

“The first claim on the treasury of this state belongs to our farmers,” he said, adding that when farmers are battling the dire circumstances of drought, it is a collective moral and social responsibility to stand firmly by their side. He further said it would not be appropriate to celebrate upcoming religious or cultural festivals with great pomp and show while farmers remain gripped by anxiety.

With dry spells affecting multiple districts, the state government is actively deploying relief measures.

Deputy Chief Minister Shinde said unified public participation, alongside government assistance, would help the state overcome this natural adversity and restore long-term security to rural Maharashtra.

Victims of the 2006 Malegaon bomb blast have filed a petition in the Supreme Court of India against four accused—Rajendra Chaudhary, Manohar Ramsingh Narwaria, Dhan Singh, and Lokesh Sharma—who were discharged from the case last month; a hearing on this matter took place today. Additionally, a petition was filed seeking the expunging of High Court remarks made against the Muslim accused who had been discharged from the case; the Supreme Court granted this request and directed the Bombay High Court to hear the pending appeal concerning the Muslim accused without being influenced by the High Court’s recent observations. Meanwhile, the Maharashtra ATS, along with Dhan Singh and others, has filed a petition in the Bombay High Court against the nine Muslim individuals who were discharged from the case. Senior Advocates Nitya Ramakrishnan and Sadan Farasat presented arguments before the Supreme Court bench comprising Justice Arvind Kumar and Justice Vipul Pancholi. Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra (Arshad Madani) provided legal representation on behalf of the bomb blast victims and the Muslim accused who had been discharged from the case. During today’s hearing, Advocate Sadan Farasat informed the two-judge bench that a division bench led by the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court had recently discharged four accused persons (Dhan Singh and others) from the case; however, the court’s judgment also included remarks against the Muslim accused. These remarks were made in the absence of the Muslim accused and without affording them an opportunity to present their side; therefore, the court was urged to expunge these observations. Acting on Advocate Sadan Farasat’s request, the bench ordered that the remarks made in the Bombay High Court’s judgment would not prejudice the cases currently pending in the High Court concerning the discharged accused—Noorul Huda and others—and directed the High Court to decide the appeals on their merits. Following the conclusion of Senior Advocate Sadan Farasat’s arguments, Senior Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan, representing the bomb blast victims, informed the court that the High Court had discharged accused individuals Rajendra Chaudhary, Manohar Ramsingh Narwaria, Dhan Singh, and Lokesh Sharma, even though charges had already been framed against them in the trial court. The bench directed Senior Advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan to present arguments regarding the appeals filed by the bomb blast victims next week and adjourned the hearing. Expressing satisfaction with today’s court proceedings in Mumbai, Maulana Halimullah Qasmi, President of Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra, stated that a partial success had been achieved. Victims of the bomb blast, along with the accused—Noorul Huda, Mohammad Ali Shaikh, Asif Bashir, Mohammad Zahid, and Raees Ahmed (who were discharged from the case in 2016)—had requested the Jamiat Ulama-e-Maharashtra Legal Aid Committee, through Maulana Abdul Qayyum, to challenge the Bombay High Court’s verdict in the Supreme Court of India. Maulana Halimullah Qasmi stated that four petitions (SLPs) were filed in the Supreme Court following consultations with senior lawyers—a matter heard today—and that the services of the country’s renowned criminal lawyers were engaged to ensure effective legal representation, resulting in partial success today. He further noted that, through the efforts of the Jamiat Ulama Legal Aid Committee, nine Muslim youths arrested by the Maharashtra ATS were initially released on bail and subsequently discharged from the case; however, the accused belonging to the majority community and the Maharashtra ATS challenged the discharge order in the Bombay High Court, where proceedings are currently underway. Maulana Halimullah Qasmi added that he considers it highly unlikely the NIA will challenge the Bombay High Court’s decision in the Supreme Court of India, given that the agency has not yet filed an appeal in the High Court against the accused acquitted in the 2008 Malegaon blast case; conversely, victims of the blast have filed an appeal in the Supreme Court, which was heard today. Thirty-one people were killed and 312 injured in the serial bomb blasts that occurred on September 8, 2006, at the Hamidia Mosque, Bada Qabristan, and Mushawarat Chowk.

Mumbai, Oct 1: Facing a severe drought triggered by persistent rainfall deficits and heightened El Niño threats, the Maharashtra government, led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, on Thursday announced a sweeping relief package for the state’s distressed farming community. In a landmark decision, the government issued an order, staying all agricultural loan recoveries across drought-hit regions.

To ease immediate financial strain, banks have been directed to restructure existing crop loans — setting a strict deadline of April 30, 2027, to complete the process — while ensuring fresh crop credit remains fully accessible for the upcoming Kharif season.

Revenue Minister and Drought Relief Sub-Committee Chairman Chandrashekhar Bawankule issued a stern directive to local administrations, instructing District Collectors and police authorities to prevent any bank or credit society representatives from approaching farmers for recovery during this crisis.

Following strong pushback from ministers and ruling alliance MLAs over excluded pockets, the cabinet added 43 new talukas to the drought list. Over 305 talukas — encompassing nearly 75 per cent of the state — are now covered under ‘Trigger-1’ drought mitigation measures.

Examination fees for Class 10 and Class 12 students in all designated drought-affected regions have also been waived.

To prevent distress migration and secure rural livelihoods, the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) department has unlocked Rs 6,728 crore. The funds will drive local employment across various projects, including irrigation works, cattle sheds, orchard plantations, borewell recharge units, bamboo cultivation, and public lake repairs.

With drinking water shortages intensifying and crop yields severely impacted, the administration has placed water management and rural employment at the forefront of its emergency strategy.

To support farmers, agricultural labourers, and affected rural populations, the state government has extended a 12-point relief and concessions package for the designated 265 talukas.

The government has announced full waiver of land revenue for affected farmers, restructuring of existing agricultural loans, immediate stay on the recovery of all agriculture-related bank loans, exemption/concessions on current electricity bills for agricultural pumps above 7.5 HP capacity (up to 7.5 HP is already waived), waiver of examination fees for school and college students in the affected zones, relaxation of work norm criteria under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (erstwhile Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) to maximise employment generation and deployment of water tankers wherever drinking water shortages occur.

Further, the government has issued strict orders preventing the disconnection of agricultural pump power supplies in declared ‘scarcity villages’. It has ordered the implementation of targeted distribution systems to prevent foodgrain shortages for farmers and daily-wage agricultural workers, measures to ensure adequate supply and availability of fodder for cattle, immediate rollout of water conservation works in the affected belts and comprehensive planning for drinking and livestock water resources in accordance with government directives.