Bengaluru, Nov 5 — The Karnataka government on Thursday disbursed the first instalment of drought relief to farmers in time for Diwali and announced that another instalment of Rs 2,500 would be released within the next few days, taking the total assistance to Rs 5,000 per farmer.
Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara launched the release of the first instalment at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru. The government released Rs 1,260 crore towards the first phase of input subsidy, which will be directly transferred to eligible farmers through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
Addressing the media, Chief Minister Shivakumar said the government had decided to provide Rs 2,500 per acre for up to two acres, with a maximum assistance of Rs 5,000 per farmer. He said Rs 2,500 was being released in the first instalment and another Rs 2,500 would be provided in the coming days.
“Today, the Deputy Chief Minister and I are pressing the button to release the first instalment of Rs 2,500. In another 15 days, we will mobilise funds and provide another Rs 2,500. We have taken this decision,” Shivakumar said.
He said the assistance might not transform the lives of farmers but maintained that the government wanted to stand with them during the crisis, particularly with Diwali approaching.
“The farmer is in darkness while Dasara has been celebrated and Diwali is around the corner. We have taken this new decision so that the government can stand with farmers during this difficult time,” he said.
Highlighting the severity of the drought, Shivakumar said Karnataka was facing an unprecedented crisis, with drought declared in 226 taluks following scientific assessment and adherence to government guidelines.
He said the government had declared the drought-affected taluks without yielding to pressure from MLAs or farmers and had relied on reports prepared in accordance with the prescribed norms. Three central teams had also visited the state to assess the drought situation, he added.
According to the Chief Minister, around 57 lakh hectares of agricultural land had been affected, with farmers suffering estimated losses of nearly Rs 62,000 crore.
“We have submitted all the information to the Centre. We have sought around Rs 22,400 crore in drought assistance,” Shivakumar said, adding that he had sought an appointment with Prime Minister Narendra Modi to take an all-party delegation to discuss the crisis.
He said Karnataka, after Rajasthan, was among the states heavily dependent on agriculture and was facing a severe crisis due to the deficient rainfall.
The Chief Minister also highlighted the growing challenge of providing drinking water and electricity to farmers. He said the government was currently spending around Rs 20,000 crore on free electricity for farmers, but the drought has increased the financial requirement to nearly Rs 30,000 crore.
Shivakumar said the state was also facing difficulties in procuring electricity, with neighbouring states experiencing shortages and power becoming difficult to obtain even after making payments.
The Chief Minister maintained that the state government had taken the decision to provide Rs 5,000 per farmer from its own resources while continuing to press the Centre for drought relief.
He said the government had made the announcement in the Assembly and was now beginning the disbursal of the promised assistance directly to farmers' accounts.