Karnataka seeks Rs 22,400 crore drought relief from Union government
Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara requested urgent assistance following crop losses across 57.93 lakh hectares in 226 taluks.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G Parameshwara has requested Rs 22,400.58 crore in drought relief from the Union government, according to Urban Acres. The demand follows reported crop losses across 226 taluks covering 57.93 lakh hectares.
In letters dated November 2 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Parameshwara asked for meetings to present a revised memorandum. The memorandum estimates the economic loss from the drought at Rs 62,481.88 crore.
The state's relief requirement rose from Rs 20,585.73 crore after the Union Ministry of Home Affairs notified revised assistance norms on October 26. These new norms increased the state's crop-loss input subsidy requirement from Rs 6,128.70 crore to Rs 7,943.55 crore.
Parameshwara stated that the current assistance rates—Rs 11,000 for rainfed crops, Rs 22,000 for irrigated crops, and Rs 30,000 for perennial crops—do not cover actual cultivation expenses. He noted that farmers face costs for seeds, fertilisers, labour, and irrigation that the framework fails to recognise.
The Deputy Chief Minister also challenged the use of 2015-16 Agriculture Census data for determining eligibility, suggesting it may exclude small farmers. He proposed using the state's Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System (FRUITS) database for updated beneficiary identification.
Parameshwara urged the Centre to review the disaster-relief framework and approve the revised claim. The request is currently awaiting consideration by the Union government.