mumbai the maharashtra cabinet has declared that the state is under drought conditions and has demanded rs 1000 crore in relief from the union government revenue minister ashok chavan announced in both houses of the state legislaturethe declaration means that droughtaffected farmers and the rural poor will automatically be entitled to relief programmesthe delayed monsoon has played havoc with drinking water supply and hurt crops the state government observed mr chavan said the central team that had recently visited the state had confirmed the state governments assessment that the delayed monsoon and uncertainty about its revival had damaged crops beyond repair the state government will review the situation if the monsoon revives in the near futureas per government rules the revenue authorities will stop recoveries from farmers and will give them soft loans to buy new seeds and fertilisers farmers may be compensated for the damage to crops caused by the failure of the monsoonprojects conducted under the employment guarantee schemes are usually halted once the monsoon arrives but since the failure of the monsoon has left lakhs of farm hands unemployed the state has asked district collectors to start egs work on a priority basisthe government will also assess the feasibility of starting food for work projects under the egs district collectors have also been asked to take a quick survey and find out whether cattle need special care several lakes that supply water for both irrigation and industry have still to reach adequate levelsthe authorities have decided to give strict priority to drinking water followed by water for agriculture and industryvidarbha is the worstaffected region according to state government statistics most areas of the region have received less than 20 per cent of their normal rainfall the condition in marathwada is a little better in western maharashtra some districts like solapur and satara have received more than 40 per cent of their normal rainfall