Bengaluru, Nov 3 — Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara on Tuesday has written separate letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, urging the Centre to urgently sanction and release financial assistance to the state in view of the unprecedented severity of the drought.
Taking to social media platform X, Parameshwara said, "I have written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, seeking urgent intervention and financial assistance for Karnataka's drought-affected farmers."
"With 226 taluks affected, crop damage across 57.93 lakh hectares and estimated economic losses of Rs 62,481.88 crore, our (Karnataka's) farmers are facing an unprecedented crisis. Following the revision of SDRF/NDRF norms, Karnataka's drought-relief requirement has increased to Rs 22,400.58 crore. However, the revised assistance norms remain inadequate when compared to the actual cost of cultivation and the magnitude of farmers' losses," the Deputy Chief Minister noted.
"I have urged the Union government to reconsider these norms, adopt updated agricultural records such as Karnataka's FRUITS database and ensure the early approval and release of the required assistance. I have also sought appointments with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to personally present Karnataka's case," Parameshwara said.
The Deputy CM added, "Our farmers deserve more than incremental relief. They need timely, meaningful support to rebuild their livelihoods. Protecting their future is a shared responsibility that must rise above political differences."
In the letters, Parameshwara referred to the notification issued by the Union Home Ministry on October 26, revising the compensation norms under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for the period from 2026-27 to 2030-31.
According to the revised norms, Karnataka's requirement for crop damage input subsidy assistance has increased from Rs 6,128.70 crore to Rs 7,943.55 crore, requiring an additional Rs 1,814.85 crore. Consequently, the state's overall drought relief demand has been revised from Rs 20,585.73 crore to Rs 22,400.58 crore. All other components of the earlier memorandum remain unchanged.
While welcoming the Centre's decision to revise the compensation norms, Parameshwara expressed concern that the increase in assistance was insufficient in comparison with the financial difficulties faced by farmers, particularly as agricultural input costs continue to rise and the intensity of weather-related disasters is increasing.
"Under the revised norms, compensation has been fixed at Rs 11,000 per hectare for rain-fed crops, Rs 22,000 per hectare for irrigated crops and Rs 30,000 per hectare for perennial crops. However, these amounts are inadequate when compared with the actual expenditure incurred by farmers on seeds, fertilisers, agricultural labour, irrigation and other essential farming inputs," the Deputy CM said.
"Compensation norms must be in tune with agricultural costs and economic conditions prevailing in 2026. A compensation mechanism that does not adequately take into account the actual expenditure incurred by farmers in cultivating their crops and the losses suffered by them cannot ensure justice," Parameshwara said in the letters.
He emphasised that disaster relief should not be restricted to merely symbolic assistance. It must provide meaningful financial support that enables farmers to recover from crop losses, restore their livelihoods and resume agricultural activities with confidence.
Parameshwara also objected to the continued use of data from the 2015-16 Agricultural Census to identify farmers eligible for drought relief.
He said that information collected nearly a decade ago does not accurately reflect the present landholdings and agricultural circumstances of farmers.
This could result in eligible small and marginal farmers being deprived of assistance, he added.
Parameshwara also urged the Centre to consider using Karnataka government's FRUITS database, which contains updated and verified information on farmers, making it easier to identify eligible beneficiaries.
He called for a comprehensive review of the existing disaster relief mechanism and urged the Centre to formulate compensation norms by taking into account the actual cost of cultivation, updated landholding records, protection of farmers' livelihoods and the increasing losses caused by extreme weather events.
Referring to the goal of making India a developed nation by 2047, Parameshwara said, "If the failure of a single monsoon can wipe out years of hard work by farmers, exhaust their family savings and push the future of an entire generation of farmers into uncertainty, the goal of building a developed India cannot be achieved."
He urged the Prime Minister and the concerned Union Ministers to consider Karnataka's revised drought relief demand of Rs 22,400.58 crore, expedite the examination of the revised memorandum submitted by the state and approve and release the eligible assistance at the earliest in accordance with the prescribed norms.
He said that political and administrative differences should not come in the way of protecting farmers' interests.
The Centre and the state government must work together in the spirit of cooperative federalism, Parameshwara added.
"The drought situation in Karnataka was extremely serious and required an equally serious and humane response from the Centre. It was essential to ensure that timely assistance reached farmers facing distress," he emphasised.