Karnataka announces Rs 2,500 aid for drought-hit farmers

“Farmers are in distress today. Therefore, while awaiting NDRF assistance, we have decided to provide an input subsidy of Rs 2,500 to each farmer from the State Government. We will provide Rs 1,250 crore to our farmers in the first phase itself. This is not a small amount. An estimated 45 to 50 lakh farmers will benefit from it,” Parameshwara said, while blaming the Centre for not taking any initiative to mitigate the crisis.

“There has also been no response to our letters. The Union Government should immediately send a Central team to the state,” he said.

The state has estimated drought in around 101 taluks with losses of Rs 18,000 crore and has sought Rs 3,800 crore of Central relief. “Around 120 more taluks are expected to be declared drought-hit. Once they are included, we will submit another memorandum,” he said.

“If all of this is taken together, I believe the total loss could be around Rs 40,000 crore. We will have to calculate how much of this is eligible for relief under the NDRF. We have to see whether it comes to around Rs 15,000 crore. Last time, it was Rs 18,000 crore,” Parameshwara said.

On Wednesday, in the midst of the special session of the Karnataka legislature on the drought situation, CM Shivakumar had written to PM Modi for early release of 50 per cent of Rs 3,705 crore of assistance sought by the state and advance release of state disaster relief funds.

The Karnataka CM on September 10 had submitted a ‘Kharif 2026 Drought Memorandum’ to the Centre, seeking financial assistance of Rs 3,705.30 crore towards immediate drought relief measures for 101 drought-declared taluks.’

“Such timely assistance would enable the state government to initiate and sustain immediate relief measures, particularly towards input subsidy assistance to crop loss, drinking water supply, livestock protection and other essential drought-relief interventions, and thereby provide much-needed and timely support to the affected farmers during this critical period,” Shivakumar stated in the letter to the PM.

In his letter to the PM, Shivakumar stated that the drought conditions are likely to extend to 200 taluks by the end of the southwest monsoon this month.

“The drought situation has further aggravated across the state and based on the scientific assessment undertaken in accordance with the parameters prescribed under the Manual for Drought Management, 2020, the state government has declared an additional 76 taluks as drought-affected,” Shivakumar has stated.

“Thus, as on date, 177 taluks have been declared as drought-affected,” he said.

The rainfall deficit in the current monsoon, which ends on September 30, has “had a cascading impact across sectors”; low reservoir storage in places like the Cauvery basin is likely to affect drinking water availability in Bengaluru and nearby districts, he said.