Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said on October 8 that the state government was prepared to borrow money if necessary to support farmers affected by the severe drought, while reviewing crop losses and relief arrangements in Raichur district’s Sindhanur taluk.
Parameshwara, who also holds the revenue portfolio, visited damaged tur crop fields in Ummalooti and Kalmangi villages and spoke with farmers. He said the state had announced ₹1,250 crore in compensation and was providing assistance of ₹2,500 per farmer. According to his statement, the Centre’s compensation norm provides ₹8,000, while the state government had decided to extend additional support from its own resources.
The Deputy Chief Minister said 217 of Karnataka’s 240 taluks had already been declared drought-affected. The remaining taluks were also facing the risk of drought, he said, as inadequate rainfall had damaged crops and pushed farmers into financial distress.
The relief response includes funding for drinking water and livestock fodder. Parameshwara said ₹306 crore had already been released for drinking water arrangements in different parts of the state. A further ₹25 crore had been provided through deputy commissioners to fodder banks for supplying fodder and fodder kits to cattle, taking the stated allocation for these measures to ₹331 crore.
He also directed officials to ensure six hours of uninterrupted electricity supply to farmers’ pump sets and to repair technical faults quickly. The instruction is significant for drought-hit agricultural areas where access to groundwater and irrigation pumps can determine whether standing crops survive, although the report did not provide details on the duration or coverage of the electricity arrangement.
During the inspection, Parameshwara visited a crop-loss-affected field belonging to farmer Beeramallappa Nayak in survey number 92 at Ummalooti. Nearly 20 acres of tur had been damaged. Nayak said he had sown four quintals of tur seed but the crop was completely destroyed because rain did not arrive on time, and sought compensation of ₹50,000 per acre.
At Kalmangi, the Deputy Chief Minister inspected the field of Nagamma Sharanegowda in survey number 14. Farmer Hanumangowda said he paid ₹30,000 every year for crop insurance on his 12-acre holding but had not received compensation for three years. He said this year’s tur crop had dried up completely and that sustaining his household had become difficult.
Parameshwara also instructed district officials to expand work under the rural employment guarantee scheme to prevent farmers and agricultural labourers from migrating during the drought. He directed deputy commissioners and chief executive officers to ensure that wages were paid every week. Farmer Basavaraj told him that wages had not been paid for one-and-a-half months and that only ₹102 had been credited for work done the previous month.
The Deputy Chief Minister questioned Raichur Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Eshwar Kumar Kandu about the delay. After the official cited technical reasons, Parameshwara directed him to resolve the issue with the department secretary rather than leaving workers without timely payment. The report said officials were also instructed to act on electricity supply and employment-related grievances during the field visit.
