Bengaluru, Oct 7 (IANS) With nearly 90 per cent of crops across Karnataka affected by one of the state’s most severe droughts in nearly 75 years, the government has decided to provide Rs 2,500 as the first instalment of relief to farmers from its own resources without waiting for assistance from the Centre, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Revenue G. Parameshwara said on Wednesday.
Speaking to the media after visiting drought-hit areas in Ballari district, including a tur field at Halakundi village, Parameshwara said the government’s priority was to protect farmers who had suffered crop losses and were facing severe hardship.
Of the state’s nearly 240 taluks, 217 have already been declared drought-affected, while ground-truthing is underway in the remaining 23 taluks.
Around 10 to 15 more taluks are likely to be added to the drought-hit list, he said.
“Nearly 90 per cent of crops in Karnataka have been affected,” Parameshwara said.
He added that the distress was not limited to rain-fed areas and that irrigated regions were also facing difficulties.
He said farmers in several areas had initially sown tur, but the crop was damaged due to a lack of rainfall.
After receiving some rain, they sowed alternative crops such as jowar, but those crops also failed, leaving many farmers without a harvest.
The situation is particularly difficult in Ballari, Vijayanagara and neighbouring areas, he said, adding that Central teams that visited Karnataka had also inspected the drought situation in these regions.
Parameshwara said the drought had also affected drinking water availability, with several villages facing shortages.
The government had released funds for urgent drought-relief measures, including drinking water supply, and Deputy Commissioners had been instructed to utilise the available funds to assist.
He said the Centre had not yet released any funds despite the state submitting memoranda seeking drought assistance.
Under Union Government guidelines, relief of Rs 8,500 per hectare is provided, but Karnataka had decided not to wait for Central assistance.
“Without waiting for Central assistance, the State Government has decided to provide Rs 2,500 as the first instalment of relief to farmers from its own resources,” he said.
A Government Order has already been issued, and Deputy Commissioners will be instructed to release the amount immediately.
Further assistance will be provided in the coming days, he added.
“We will not simply sit and blame the Centre for not releasing even a single rupee,” Parameshwara said.
He added that the government would provide whatever support was possible from its side and would not abandon farmers during this period of distress.
The State Government has submitted two memoranda to the Centre covering 177 taluks, with the total crop and drought-related loss estimated at around Rs 46,000 crore.
However, the state has sought around Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 11,500 crore from the Centre as assistance based on the relief permissible under NDRF guidelines.
Three Central teams have already visited drought-affected areas in Karnataka and inspected the situation.
Parameshwara said the teams were not required to visit every taluk or village and had conducted sample inspections.
The Centre also has access to satellite-based crop and drought data, he added.
He recalled that Karnataka had suffered losses of around Rs 49,000 crore during the 2023 drought and had sought approximately Rs 18,000 crore from the Centre.
After initially receiving no assistance, the state had approached the court, following which around Rs 3,500 crore was released based on court directions, he said.
On farm loans, Parameshwara said banks had been directed to defer recovery and take steps towards restructuring and refinancing loans in view of the drought.
Farmers need not worry about notices issued by banks, as instructions were being issued to private financial institutions as well as nationalised banks to defer recovery.
He said the government was currently focusing on immediate financial assistance and postponement of loan recovery, while demands for farm-loan and interest waivers would be reviewed in the coming days.
“Right now, the farmer is our priority,” Parameshwara said, adding that road works and other projects could be taken up later if necessary and that protecting farmers came first.
–IANS
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