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Central team visits Maharashtra to assess crop damage

Source:newsonair ↗

Why It Matters

Understanding the mechanism of central assessment teams, disaster relief distribution (NDRF/SDRF), and agricultural vulnerability to monsoon anomalies is vital for MPSC aspirants focusing on Maharashtra's rural economy and governance.

Summary

A central team has arrived in Maharashtra to conduct an on-ground assessment of drought conditions and Kharif crop damage, a critical procedure for evaluating agrarian distress and releasing relief funds under disaster management frameworks.

Key Points

  • A central inter-ministerial team arrived in Maharashtra to assess the ground-level impact of drought and widespread Kharif crop damage.
  • The assessment covers agricultural distress caused by irregular monsoon patterns, dry spells, or localized floods affecting Kharif harvest.
  • Findings from central teams feed into relief allocations under national disaster funds (NDRF/SDRF) and insurance payouts.

Important Terms

State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF)

A primary financial mechanism established under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, utilized by state governments to meet immediate rescue and relief expenditure for notified natural calamities like droughts.

UPSC context

MPSC Paper III (Economy/Disaster Management): Tests knowledge of disaster relief financing, resource allocation, and center-state fiscal responsibilities.

Source
National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF)

A national-level fund managed by the Central Government to provide supplementary financial assistance and relief supplies to states when local disaster response funds are inadequate for severe calamities.

UPSC context

MPSC Paper III (Disaster Management): Evaluates institutional frameworks and central intervention criteria during catastrophic droughts and crop failures.

Source
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana (PMFBY)

India's flagship crop insurance scheme providing comprehensive financial risk coverage and income stabilization to farmers against non-preventable natural risks from pre-sowing to post-harvest stages.

UPSC context

MPSC Paper III (Agriculture & Economy): Tests understanding of agricultural risk mitigation, premium structures, and farmer welfare programs.

Source

Prelims Trap

Central inter-ministerial teams directly disburse relief funds under the National Disaster Response Fund without state memoranda.

Aspirants often confuse NDRF and SDRF funding patterns and assume central teams directly disburse funds without state-level memorandum submissions.

Static Concepts Connected

Economy - Public Finance & Disaster Management

What are the operational mechanisms and funding patterns of NDRF and SDRF in India?

  • Statutory Backing: Statutory basis constituted under the Disaster Management Act, 2005 for managing natural calamities.
  • Funding Ratio: SDRF is funded by the Centre and States in a 75:25 ratio for general states and 90:10 for northeastern/himalayan states.
  • NDRF Source: NDRF is funded completely by the central government and supplemented by a cess on certain items if required.

Cross-Topic Patterns

  • Agrarian Distress & Fiscal Federalism

    Drought relief and crop damage assessments directly link agricultural distress with fiscal federalism and disaster management fund allocation between the Centre and States.

  • Vidarbha/Marathwada Regional Imbalances

    Erratic monsoon patterns and prolonged dry spells in regions like Marathwada and Vidarbha underscore persistent regional developmental imbalances in Maharashtra.

NDRF vs SDRF funding norms + 33% crop loss trigger for input subsidies is a high-yield MPSC Economics/Agriculture prelims target.

Linked PYQs · 4

Linked PYQs · 4

  • 2022MPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    Observe the statements regarding agriculture in Maharashtra : (a) Soil erosion is not a serious problem of agriculture. (b) Soil erosion takes place due to flooding in rivers, forest cutting and uncontrolled grazing. (c) Soils are saline due to over-irrigation. Answer Options :

  • 2020MPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    What happened in Maharashtra due to fragmentation of agricultural land ? (a) Farmer is not able to produce food grains, sufficient for his family. (b) There are obstacle to supply water to agricultural land. (c) The use of modern agricultural tools is uneconomical. (d) To pay individual attention on agriculture is uneconomical. Answer Options :

  • 2025MPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    _______ Monsoon winds blow in Maharashtra from June to September.

  • 2016MPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    Read the following statements and choose the correct option given below : a. El-Nino is merely an extension of the warm equatorial current. b. El-Nino means "Child Christ". c. El-Nino is a current that appears around Christmas in December. d. El-Nino is used in India for forecasting long range monsoon rainfall.