Kharge seeks ₹3,705 crore central aid for Karnataka drought, urges urgent intervention by Modi

New Delhi: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sanction and release ₹3,705.30 crore in central assistance to Karnataka to address the severe drought affecting the state, citing crop losses of ₹18,748 crore and mounting distress among farming families.

In a letter dated October 1, Kharge sought the Prime Minister’s personal intervention, stating that Karnataka was facing a severe drought that could potentially be among the worst in 150 years. He noted that the state had also experienced a major drought in 2023, making the impact of two such events within three years particularly challenging.

According to the letter, Karnataka recorded a 58% rainfall deficit as of September 2026, with all 31 districts affected by deficient monsoon rainfall. Of the state’s 240 taluks, 101 had been declared drought-hit, while another 116 were under assessment at the time of writing.

Kharge said crop damage had been assessed across 19.52 lakh hectares, with the state estimating agricultural losses at ₹18,748.23 crore and the overall economic impact at around ₹40,000 crore. More than 31 lakh farming families were facing livelihood distress, while drinking water was being supplied through tankers to 709 villages and 114 urban wards.

The letter cited rainfall data showing that Karnataka received 477 mm of rain between June 1 and August 31, against the normal 691 mm, a deficit of 31%. It also highlighted low reservoir storage, reduced sowing and the likely impact on hydel power generation.

Seeks full release of relief funds

Kharge urged the Centre to release the entire ₹3,705.30 crore sought by the state under disaster relief norms, without arbitrary reductions. The claim includes ₹2,017.26 crore for crop input subsidies, ₹583.04 crore for livestock-related measures, ₹805 crore for drinking water supply and ₹300 crore as gratuitous relief for affected farmers.

He also requested the Centre to deploy an additional Inter-Ministerial Central Team to assess drought damage in the Kalyana-Karnataka region, which he said had been severely affected. Three central teams were scheduled to visit other parts of the state from October 3 to 7, according to the letter.

Seeks changes to farmer eligibility assessment

Kharge called for the Centre to use updated data from Karnataka’s Bhoomi land-records database to calculate input subsidies for small and marginal farmers, instead of relying on the 2015-16 Agriculture Census. He said the existing data could exclude eligible farmers and noted that the state’s records showed 45.7 lakh farmers holding less than two hectares of land.

He further sought the inclusion of additional taluks undergoing ground-truthing in a single, continuing drought assessment, rather than requiring repeated claims. The letter also requested enhanced support for drinking-water security and the cost of procuring substitute power amid low reservoir levels.

Kharge said the state government had already committed substantial funds towards relief, including drinking-water supply, fodder support, employment generation and crop insurance measures. He urged the Centre to assess the state’s memorandum on merit and release assistance without delay, stressing that drought relief should be treated as a humanitarian priority.