Karnataka to provide ₹5,000 drought relief to eligible farmers
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced the relief will be distributed in two phases to assist farmers in distress.
Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar announced on Thursday that the State government will provide drought relief of up to ₹5,000 to each eligible farmer. According to reports from The Hindu, ANI, and BusinessLine, the relief will be distributed in two phases, with ₹2,500 being transferred through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) in the first phase.
The Chief Minister released ₹17.43 crore as the first instalment of input subsidy to 1,06,462 farmers in Yadgir district at a rate of ₹2,500 each. He stated that the second instalment of ₹2,500 would be released within the next 15 to 20 days.
Payment files are currently being processed for 15 districts, including Uttara Kannada, Kolar, Koppal, Chamarajanagar, Dharwad, Ballari, Bidar, Bengaluru Urban, Haveri, Bengaluru South, Davanagere, Dakshina Kannada, Kalaburagi, Mandya, and Vijayanagara. The remaining approved input subsidy will be released in a single instalment once the State receives funds from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
Shivakumar described the drought as the most severe he has seen in his lifetime, noting that crops on 57.93 lakh hectares had wilted. Following assessments under Central Government guidelines, 226 taluks have been declared drought-hit.
The State has reported drought-related losses of approximately ₹62,000 crore to the Centre and is seeking assistance of ₹22,400 crore. Shivakumar said the government has sought an appointment with the Prime Minister to discuss the matter and proposed an all-party delegation to seek central assistance.