Karnataka has sought Rs 7,142 crore in drought relief from the Centre after declaring 217 of the state’s 240 taluks drought-hit, with crop losses, drinking water shortages and pressure on rural livelihoods worsening across several regions.
Chief minister DK Shivakumar made the request on Saturday during a meeting with a three-member inter-ministerial drought assessment team headed by Ajit Kumar Sahu, joint secretary in the Union agriculture and farmers welfare ministry. The team is conducting a three-day visit to assess crop losses and verify the state government’s estimates.
“Karnataka is facing a severe drought situation, and farmers and other people are facing great hardship. Provide Rs 7,142 crore in drought relief to the state as per National Disaster Response Force norms,” Shivakumar told the team, according to the report.
The state government briefed the central team on rainfall deficiency, crop damage, drinking water availability and fodder supply. Shivakumar said reservoir inflows remained low except in the Krishna basin, while the Malnad and coastal Karnataka regions were experiencing severe rainfall deficits. Urban areas were also reporting water shortages, he said.
The chief minister also referred to the pressure created by water releases into the Cauvery river while the state was facing shortages. Karnataka has announced Rs 2,500 in relief for farmers, but the state government is seeking additional assistance from the Centre. The drought has also affected other parts of the rural economy, with sugarcane growers seeking higher prices and milk producers demanding an increase of at least Rs 10 in milk prices.
Three central teams are assessing conditions in the Tumakuru-Chitradurga-Davanagere belt, North Karnataka and the Mysuru region. They are expected to meet deputy commissioners and local officials, inspect conditions on the ground and verify the data submitted by the state.
Sahu assured the chief minister that the teams would collect ground-level data and submit an objective report. Karnataka has already submitted two memoranda seeking drought assistance. The second memorandum, covering 177 taluks, estimated losses at around Rs 46,000 crore, while the state has placed the overall damage between Rs 50,000 crore and Rs 60,000 crore.
A final memorandum covering all 217 drought-hit taluks will be submitted after the central teams complete their assessment. The outcome will determine the scale of central assistance considered under the applicable relief framework.
Separately, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has sought urgent central assistance for more than 31 lakh farming families affected by crop losses. In an 11-page letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also shared with Union home minister Amit Shah, Kharge requested a quick assessment and compensation for small and marginal farmers.
Kharge said Karnataka was facing one of its gravest drought situations in recent years, citing a 58% rainfall deficiency as of September. He also asked that input subsidies be calculated using Karnataka’s updated Bhoomi land records rather than the 2015-16 agriculture census, arguing that this would help prevent eligible farmers from being excluded. The central assessment teams are now expected to complete their field visits and submit their report to the Union government.
