The editorial argued that the government had failed to provide adequate relief to nearly 1.5 crore farmers affected by drought across Maharashtra. The Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) has criticised the Maharashtra government’s announcement of an advance payment of Rs 5,000 to drought-affected farmers, calling it a "fraudulent and. Shiv Sena (UBT) calls Maharashtra government’s Rs 5,000 drought relief for farmers a “fraudulent gimmick”, questioning crop-loss rules and eligibility.