Karnataka Drought Relief: Rs. 2,500 Input Subsidy For 45-50 Lakh Farmers; State To Spend Rs. 1,250 Crore

Karnataka Drought Relief: The Karnataka government has announced an immediate Rs. 2,500 input subsidy for each farmer affected by the ongoing drought, with the first phase expected to benefit around 45 lakh to 50 lakh farmers.

The state government will spend approximately Rs.1,250 crore on the first phase of the relief, even as it waits for assistance from the Centre under the National Disaster Response Fund.

Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G Parameshwara made the announcement during the discussion on the drought situation in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly on September 24.

Rs. 2,500 Drought Subsidy For Farmers

Under the new Karnataka drought relief measure, each eligible farmer in drought-affected areas will receive an input subsidy of Rs. 2,500.
The first phase of the programme is expected to cost the state around Rs. 1,250 crore and cover an estimated 45 lakh to 50 lakh farmers. The assistance is being announced while Karnataka is seeking financial support from the Centre under NDRF provisions.

The state government has said it will continue to assess drought conditions and identify additional affected areas. This means the number of eligible farmers and the overall financial requirement could change as the assessment progresses.

177 Karnataka Taluks Declared Drought-Hit

The drought has spread across a large part of Karnataka. According to Parameshwara, 177 of the state's 240 taluks have so far been declared drought-hit, while more areas are undergoing assessment. Around 50 additional taluks could qualify based on the prescribed drought assessment criteria.

The government assesses drought conditions using factors such as rainfall, crop and sowing conditions, satellite data, soil moisture and water storage before conducting ground-level verification.

The state has estimated initial crop and drought-related losses at around Rs. 18,000 crore across roughly 100-101 taluks and has sought about Rs.3,800 crore in assistance from the Centre. The government has indicated that the overall losses could eventually reach around Rs. 40,000 crore, depending on the number of taluks ultimately classified as drought-hit and the relief eligible under NDRF norms