The State government disbursed drought relief to the highest number of farmers during 2023–2024, with 38.78 lakh farmers receiving compensation, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Wednesday. So far, ₹4,047 crore has been spent on drought relief compensation in the State.
Who got relief
“The previous highest number of farmers receiving compensation was 23.42 lakh. In the last four years, 14.41 lakh farmers received drought relief. Farmers who have seen 33% of their crops getting damaged have received compensation. In the irrigated land, those farmers who received water for their crops have not been compensated while farmers in the canal’s tail end who did not receive water have been compensated,” the Minister told the Legislative Council.
He was responding to a question from the newly appointed Leader of the Opposition Chalavadi Narayanswamy on behalf of BJP member Keshavprasad.
In addition, Mr. Gowda said that the government for the first time spent ₹531 crore to pay compensation for the loss of livelihood that benefitted 17.8 lakh farmers’ families. The compensation payment process was ongoing, he said.
When BJP members accused the State government of not doing enough, he said, “Apart from the Central grant of ₹4,063 crore for drought relief of which ₹3,454 crore (about 74%) has been disbursed, the State government has also spent ₹1,296 crore on providing relief to farmers. While ₹85 crore has been spent on fodder and providing water, ₹200 crore has been spent on long-term drought relief work.”
SC intervention
The Minister also said that though Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra approached the Centre for drought relief along with Karnataka, only Karnataka received the relief. “For the first time, Karnataka approached the Supreme Court and got relief of ₹3,454 crore. If we had not gone to court, we would not have received anything and the Centre did not have the intention to pay us relief.”
On complaints that many farmers had not received insurance amount, he said, “Only after Karnataka raised the issue of farmers who have been compensated by drought relief not receiving insurance that the Centre changed the drought relief manual. When I pointed this out at a meeting with the Home Minister and said that such a measure would only help insurance companies, it has been dropped. If there are any such case, it can be set right.”
