Ballari, (Karnataka), Oct 7: Karnataka is facing one of its worst drought situations in nearly 75 years, with around 90 per cent of crops damaged, and saving farmers from the crisis is the state government’s priority, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said on Wednesday.
As many as 217 of the state’s 240 taluks have already been declared drought-hit, while ground-truthing is under way in another 23 taluks, he said, adding that 10 to 15 of them could be added to the drought-hit list.
“The government has to come to the assistance of farmers and people. We have already taken several measures to provide as much assistance as possible,” Parameshwara, who holds the revenue portfolio, told reporters after visiting drought-hit areas at Halakundi village in Ballari.
“Farmers in several areas had first sown Tur dal, which was damaged due to inadequate rainfall, and later opted for alternative crops such as jowar after receiving some rain, but those too had failed,” the deputy chief minister said.
According to him, around 90 per cent of crops had been damaged across Karnataka, including in irrigated areas.
He added that the drought situation was particularly severe in Ballari, Vijayanagara and surrounding regions.
The state government had decided to release Rs 2,500 as the first instalment of compensation to farmers from its own resources without waiting for Central assistance. Under the Centre’s guidelines, the compensation was Rs 8,500 per hectare, but no funds had been released by the Centre so far, Parameshwara said.
“We will not sit here blaming the Centre, saying that not even a single paisa has come. We will provide whatever assistance is possible from our side. We will not abandon the farmer in distress,” he said.
An order had already been issued, and Deputy Commissioners had been instructed to release the first instalment immediately, with further assistance to be provided in the coming days, he said.
The state had submitted two memoranda to the Centre, estimating losses of around Rs 46,000 crore in 177 taluks, and had sought Rs 11,000 crore to Rs 11,500 crore under NDRF guidelines, he said.
“We have said that the loss is Rs 46,000 crore. But as per the Central guidelines, we can seek only what we are eligible for. That is why we have sought around Rs 11,000 crore in compensation,” Parameshwara said.
Three Central teams had visited Karnataka and inspected drought-hit areas, he said, adding that the teams were not required to visit every village as they conducted sample inspections and also had access to satellite-based data.
Parameshwara said the government had also instructed banks to defer recovery of farmers’ loans and take steps towards restructuring and refinancing. Farmers need not worry about notices issued by banks, he said, adding that similar directions were being issued to private financial institutions and nationalised banks.
The drought had also triggered drinking water shortages in several villages, and funds had been released for drinking water and other emergency relief works, he said.
On the financial burden of drought relief, Parameshwara said the government would prioritise expenditure based on the availability of funds.
“We will decide on a priority basis, depending on the availability of finances, what work should be taken up first and what can be taken up later. Now, the farmer is our priority. Road works and other works can happen later. Saving the farmer is the first task,” he said.
