Bengaluru, 22 October

Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union ministers Amit Shah and Shivraj Singh Chouhan, calling on them to expedite the release of Rs 20,585.73 crore in drought relief to the State under NDRF norms.

In separate letters to the PM, Union Home Minister Shah and Union Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister Chouhan, Parameshwara noted that Karnataka recorded a 35 per cent rainfall deficit during the 2026 southwest monsoon, receiving 551mm of rainfall against the normal 852mm.

The rainfall was the second-lowest for the season since 1956 and the seventh-lowest since 1901, according to the State government's assessment.

“Lakhs of farming families are facing severe financial distress,” Parameshwara stated, noting that Karnataka has suffered estimated agricultural losses of Rs 62,481.88 crore. He said that this comes on top of the existing distress that farmers face, including debt. 

The State has declared 226 taluks drought-affected, with crop damage reported across 57.93 lakh hectares, including 53.92 lakh hectares of agricultural and 4.01 lakh hectares of horticultural crops.

The State government has sought Rs 20,585.73 crore in central assistance, including Rs 6,128.70 crore as input subsidy for crop losses, Rs 12,146.99 crore as gratuitous relief for 61.91 lakh small and marginal farmers, Rs 1,727 crore for drinking water supply and Rs 583.04 crore for animal husbandry and livestock protection.

Parameshwara said the proposed gratuitous relief had been calculated at Rs 327 per day for 60 days. The State has also sought assistance to establish 476 cattle camps and 583 fodder banks to protect livestock from the effects of the drought.

He also sought an additional Rs 427.20 crore under 'PM POSHAN' to provide nutritious meals to schoolchildren during summer vacations in drought-affected taluks and Rs 70.96 crore under the Supplementary Nutrition Programme to support vulnerable beneficiaries.

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Parameshwara also urged the Centre to adopt Karnataka's updated FRUITS database instead of “relying on outdated Agricultural Census 2015–16 data”. He said that using the latter could result in shortfall of approximately Rs 1,669.50 crore in relief assessment. 

He noted that Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) had completed its visit to the State between 3 to 6 October and urged the government to expedite relief.