Nagpur: Drought is tightening its grip on Vidarbha, with the State Government adding 13 more talukas to the drought-affected areas’ list, taking the region’s total to a staggering 108. The latest expansion brings more areas under the drought assessment framework, raising concerns over agricultural losses and the hardships confronting farmers.
With the fresh additions, the number of drought-affected talukas in Nagpur Division has jumped from 39 to 52, while Amravati Division continues to account for 56 affected talukas.
The newly included talukas are spread across four districts of Nagpur Division. Wardha district has one addition, Karanja, while Bhandara district has two, Mohadi and Tumsar.
Gondia district accounts for the largest share of the latest additions, with seven talukas brought under the drought-affected category: Gondia, Amgaon, Deori, Salekasa, Arjuni Morgaon, Sadak Arjuni and Goregaon.
Chandrapur district has three new additions, Brahmapuri, Jiwati and Ballarpur.
The expansion underscores the widening geographical spread of drought-related concerns across Vidarbha. With more talukas now included in the official list, the focus will shift to assessing the extent of crop damage and determining the assistance available to affected farmers.
However, the inclusion of a taluka in the drought-affected list does not, by itself, establish the amount of compensation or guarantee immediate relief. Assistance to farmers will depend on the applicable government orders, crop-loss assessments and prescribed eligibility criteria.
The latest additions have increased the number of drought-affected talukas in Nagpur Division by nearly one-third, from 39 to 52, highlighting the growing scale of the challenge facing the region’s rural economy.
