Karnataka Cabinet to Take Up Drought, Crop Losses as Rainfall Deficit Hits 75%
The Karnataka Cabinet will discuss the drought-like situation and crop losses at its meeting on Thursday, Minister for Home, IT-BT and e-Governance Priyank Kharge said on Monday. Mr. Kharge, who is also in-charge of Kalaburagi district, made the statement after inspecting rain-hit agricultural fields in Aurad (B) village of Kalaburagi taluk.
The State has recorded a rainfall deficit of approximately 75%, which Mr. Kharge attributed to the impact of the “Super El Niño” phenomenon. The prolonged dry spell has withered crops across large parts of Karnataka, prompting the government to assess the extent of damage. Farmers in several districts, including Kalaburagi, have reported significant losses, particularly for pulses like black gram and red gram, which are staple crops in the region.
During his visit, Mr. Kharge met farmers Vimalabai Ambaraya and Shakuntala Suryakant, whose fields had been severely affected. Ms. Vimalabai told the Minister that she had spent about ₹50,000 on DAP fertiliser and seeds to sow black gram, but lost the crop to the prolonged dry spell. She had also sown red gram on four additional acres and feared that the crop would fail if the drought conditions continued. “I have invested everything I had, and now there is nothing left,” she said, appealing for compensation.
Mr. Kharge said the Chief Minister had directed all Ministers to visit drought-affected areas in their respective districts and submit reports. “Accordingly, I have come here for a field visit,” he added. He later visited Kere Bhosga village and inspected the field of Shabbir Ahmed, where red gram had been sown twice after the first crop failed.
On the issue of compensation, Mr. Kharge said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had already written to the Centre highlighting the drought situation. He expressed that the stringent provisions of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) were making it difficult for the State to provide adequate compensation to farmers. “The State has been seeking a simplification of the NDRF norms to ensure that farmers receive fair compensation. The Centre should consider this demand,” Mr. Kharge reiterated. He noted that the existing norms often require detailed damage assessments, which delay relief and sometimes exclude small and marginal farmers.
Mr. Kharge highlighted that Kalaburagi district received a record ₹650 crore in compensation last year, the second-highest in the country. This year, nearly 4.5 lakh farmers in the district have enrolled under the crop insurance scheme. However, he acknowledged farmers' complaints that adequate compensation did not reach about 20% of gram panchayat areas last year. “I have issued strict instructions to the Revenue and Agriculture Department officials to ensure that this is not repeated this year,” he said, adding that the government is committed to transparency and timely disbursal of relief.
On drinking water, Mr. Kharge said ₹1 crore had been allocated to each Assembly constituency in the district. “There is no shortage of funds for drinking water supply,” he said. An additional ₹5 crore had already been released for rural drinking water requirements, he added.
The visit was attended by legislators Allamprabhu Patil, Basavaraj Mattimadu, Thippannappa Kamaknoor, Deputy Commissioner Ikram Shareef, IGP Shantanu Sinha, Kalaburagi City Police Commissioner S.D. Sharanappa, Superintendent of Police Adduru Srinivasulu and Joint Director of Agriculture Samad Patel.
The upcoming Cabinet meeting is expected to consider a comprehensive response to the drought, including possible relaxation of NDRF norms, increased compensation rates, and measures to ensure drinking water supply. Karnataka has experienced recurring drought cycles, and this year's rainfall deficit has exacerbated the situation, particularly in the northern and central regions. The outcome of Thursday's meeting will be closely watched by farmers and political observers alike.
