The Maharashtra government declared drought in 265 of 358 taluks last week, hitting students in Pune hard. Many families depend on farming, but failed crops left them with no income. Mahesh Mate said, “My parents sent us to Pune to study as there is nothing left in our farm.”
It’s a concern affecting several students who have migrated to Pune, leaving behind families that depend on agriculture in drought-affected parts of Maharashtra. With the Maharashtra government declaring drought in 265 of the state’s 358 taluks last week, the crisis has brought fresh financial uncertainty to students, who came to Pune for a better education and a better life.
‘Nothing left in our farm’
Like 21-year-old Mahesh Mate from Loni Shahajanpur in Beed. A Bachelor in Computer Science student at Pune’s S P College, Mate’s family owns 2.5 acres of farmland, where cotton and soybean are cultivated.
“In 2025, the flood waters ruined our crops and this year the drought has dried up the farm. We have two oxen and a cow. When there is no water or fodder, we do not know how to manage the animals,” Mate, who migrated to Pune last year for higher education, said.
Mate and his brother, who works as a lab attendant, have to pay approximately Rs 5,000 per month for a room to stay. As part of the college’s ‘Earn and Learn’ scheme, he manages to earn around Rs 3,000 per month but it is worried about how the family will cope with another failed agricultural season.
“My parents sent us to Pune to study as there is nothing left in our farm,” he said. “Before Ganeshotsav, I went to my village and due to the drought situation this year, our farm has dried up. My father is desperate and now seeks work at other farms to earn barely Rs 300-Rs 400 per day.”
Some relief from Student Helping Hands
Student Helping Hands, founded more than a decade ago by Kuldeep Ambekar, has a food scholarship programme, where students from drought-hit regions of Marathwada and Vidarbha are provided two nutritious meals a day.
Ambekar, who moved to Pune from Ambi village in Dharashiv, recalled a phase in his life when his farmer parents struggled through a famine and were unable to send Rs 5,000 for his expenses in Pune. “Since then, along with volunteers, we help students who have come to Pune from drought-affected regions in Maharashtra and guide them on various aspects,” Ambekar said.
The organisation has supported more than 5,000 students and provides meals to around 600 students annually, while also helping them find hostels and part-time jobs. “This year, at least 2,000 students applied to SHS for the food scholarship scheme. Several are from single-parent families and economically disadvantaged backgrounds,” Ambekar said.
While the SHS offers support, there are challenges, he admitted, saying that because of the drought, there is a delay in receiving money from their families. So, at times, students cannot pay their fees on time.
The organisation is now planning a meet for drought-affected students on October 4.