Karnataka Assures Minimum Rs 5,000 Drought Relief to Eligible Farmers: Shivakumar

Bengaluru: The Karnataka government will ensure that every eligible farmer receives a minimum drought relief of Rs 5,000, with the balance amount to be paid in the next instalment to those who received Rs 2,000 or Rs 2,500 in the first phase, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar said.

Clarifying concerns over the relief payments, Shivakumar said the first instalment was not the final amount and urged farmers not to be misled by rumours or misinformation.

Under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms, the minimum assistance is fixed at Rs 1,500 per hectare for rain-fed crops, Rs 2,600 for irrigated crops and Rs 3,200 for perennial crops. However, the state government has decided to provide a minimum of Rs 5,000 across all three categories, with the additional expenditure to be met from state funds.

Farmers who received Rs 2,000 or Rs 2,500 in the first instalment will be paid the remaining amount in the next phase, he said.

Eligible farmers can also receive input subsidy assistance of up to Rs 60,000, depending on the extent of crop loss.

Shivakumar said the government was committed to ensuring that the full relief reached eligible farmers and asked them to rely on official announcements rather than unverified information.