Over 2,400 farmers have committed suicide in the state - the highest in the past six years.
With two straight seasons of drought hitting parts of Maharashtra, especially the arid region of Marathwada, state minister Pankaja Munde has blamed climate change.
"This is the first effect of climate change, I must say. Because of it, there is no water, there is no agricultural development, and that is why farmers commit suicide," Ms Munde, the state's Rural Development and Water Conservation minister, told NDTV.
"Marathwada is going to have a tough time because there has been no rain for years and because of the heat. So, we really are seeing a lot of climatic change affecting everyday life," she added.
While some reports have suggested that Marathwada - which is in a rain shadow belt - would see even less rain in the coming years, there has been no scientific study to connect droughts, unseasonal rain and hail storms to climate change.
Over 2,400 farmers have committed suicide in the state till November this year - the highest in the past six years. In the Marathwada region, there were over 1,000 farmer suicides till November this year compared to 574 in 2014.
Farm activist Kishore Tiwari, who heads a state government body overlooking relief for drought-hit farmers, believes the suicides are mainly driven by man-made factors.
"Farming has to be more sustainable. It has to be a viable livelihood for farmers, which currently it is not today. Moreover, irrigation projects haven't helped. We use asking if climate change affects all of India then why are so many farmers only committing suicide in this region?", Mr Tiwari asks.
The Maharashtra government has declared drought in over 15,000 villages. The electricity bills of farmers have been slashed by a third as have been college and school fees. The government is also offering rice and wheat at subsidised rates of Rs 3 and Rs 2 per kg.