Marathwada worst-hit, cloud over Rabi season, Pg1

Key Highlights:

• Maharashtra is currently facing a severe drought, with a rainfall deficit of 18% during the monsoon season, exceeding the national deficit of 13%.
• The situation is intensified by El Niño conditions and is being compared to the devastating 1972 drought, with fears it could be worse.
• The Marathwada region is the most severely affected, experiencing a 38% rainfall deficit, while Vidarbha also faces significant shortfalls.
• 21 of Maharashtra's 36 districts have recorded rainfall deficits, leading to widespread damage to Kharif crops and uncertainty for the upcoming Rabi season.

Marathwada Droughts.jpg

Detailed Insights:

• The 1972 drought in Maharashtra was a result of three consecutive monsoon failures starting in 1970, impacting 75-80% of the state's population and causing mass rural-to-urban migration.
• During the 1972 crisis, the Maharashtra government, under CM Vasantrao Naik, introduced the Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) to provide alternative work through public projects like water and soil conservation.
• The EGS was formalized by the EGS Act of 1978 and later served as a foundational model for the nationwide Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005.
• The Public Distribution System (PDS) played a critical role in preventing starvation deaths in 1972 by supplying subsidized food grains and a calorie-dense supplement called "sukadi."
• Current agricultural concerns include the continued reliance on outdated irrigation systems and inadequate water conservation measures, making the state highly vulnerable to climate change impacts.
• Districts within Marathwada, such as Latur, Dharashiv, Beed, and Parbhani, have reported severe damage to Kharif crops, with some areas experiencing up to 90% crop loss.

Key Concepts Involved:

• El Niño: A climate phenomenon characterized by the warming of surface waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, often leading to suppressed monsoon rainfall in India.
• Rabi Season: The winter cropping season in India, where crops are sown in mid-November after the monsoon and harvested in April-May, relying on residual moisture or irrigation.
• Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS): A pioneering scheme launched by Maharashtra in 1972, guaranteeing employment to rural unskilled laborers, which later inspired MGNREGA.
• Public Distribution System (PDS): A government-managed food security program in India that ensures the distribution of essential food grains and commodities at subsidized rates through Fair Price Shops.
• Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA): A social welfare legislation enacted in 2005, guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment annually to rural households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work.
• Marathwada: A historically drought-prone region in Maharashtra, largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture and highly susceptible to water scarcity.
• Kharif Crops: Crops cultivated during the monsoon season, typically sown in June-July and harvested in September-October, with their success heavily dependent on adequate rainfall.