Karnataka Announces ₹2,500 Drought Aid for Farmers, ₹1,250 Crore Allocated in First Phase
Around 45 to 50 lakh farmers expected to benefit as state awaits further assistance from Centre
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has announced an immediate input subsidy of ₹2,500 for each farmer affected by drought, with the first phase of the relief package estimated to cost around ₹1,250 crore.
Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara said the first phase is expected to benefit around 45 to 50 lakh farmers across the drought affected areas of the state.
Responding to criticism that the assistance was inadequate, Parameshwara said the state government had decided to provide immediate relief while awaiting assistance from the Centre under the National Disaster Response Fund.
He said further relief measures would be considered depending on the assistance received from the Union government. He added that the state could not commit to a revised relief amount at this stage.
According to Parameshwara, drought related losses in Karnataka could exceed ₹40,000 crore. The state has already submitted a memorandum to the Centre seeking assistance and plans to submit additional memoranda after completing the assessment of losses.
The Deputy Chief Minister also said the state government was providing other forms of support to farmers, including around ₹22,000 crore in electricity subsidies for supplying free power to agricultural pump sets.
Central Team to Assess Drought Situation
The Union government has informed Karnataka about sending a team, including an IAS officer, to assess the drought situation and the extent of losses. The date of the team’s visit has not yet been finalised.
Parameshwara said a clearer picture of the additional assistance required would emerge after the Central team completes its assessment according to NDRF guidelines.
All Party Delegation to Delhi
On the proposal to send an all party delegation to New Delhi, Parameshwara said the Chief Minister had already clarified the matter in the Legislative Assembly.
He said an all party meeting would be held before the delegation visits Delhi. The delegation is expected to meet the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Union Agriculture Minister to present Karnataka’s drought situation and the difficulties faced by farmers.
Parameshwara said Opposition members would also be welcome to join the delegation. The date of the proposed visit has not yet been finalised.
The announcement comes as Karnataka continues to seek greater financial assistance from the Centre for drought relief, while the state government proceeds with its first phase of direct support to affected farmers.