BENGALURU: Despite the state government’s announcement of up to Rs 2,000 interim relief for every farmer affected by crop loss due to drought, a month has passed without the funds reaching their accounts.
The state cabinet, led by chief minister Siddaramaiah, declared the interim relief on November 30, with assurances that the remaining compensation, following the guidelines of the Natural Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), would be disbursed after the central government released the funds.However, the delay has left farmers in a state of distress.
Farmer leader Sidagouda Modagi from Belagavi expressed frustration, stating, “In the first place, whatever interim relief the government has announced is a meagre amount. On top of it, making farmers wait for months is like inflicting insult on them. The government must disburse relief immediately.”
The opposition BJP and JD(S) have joined in the criticism, accusing the state government of insensitivity towards farmers. Former CM HD Kumaraswamy said, “Siddaramaiah often claims his government walks the talk. But in this case, it has failed to keep its words.”
Officials attribute the delay to the implementation of a new system for disbursing input subsidies. Rashmi Mahesh, principal secretary, revenue (disaster management), explained, “We are integrating data from Parihaar and Bhoomi portals and also crop survey data in the FRUITS (Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System) database, which is going to be more scientific and comprehensive. Under the new system, farmers need not even apply for input subsidies or give details about their land holdings and crops.”
The process, covering about 68 lakh farmers, is 80% complete, with verification ongoing in Challakere taluk, Chitradurga district, on a pilot basis. Mahesh expressed hope that the entire data integration and verification process would conclude by the next weekend, with relief disbursement commencing in the second week of January.
The severe drought, labelled the worst in the last 125 years, has affected over 48 lakh hectares of crops in Karnataka, with 223 out of 236 taluks declared drought affected. The state government has sought Rs 18,177 crore in relief from the Centre.
The state cabinet, led by chief minister Siddaramaiah, declared the interim relief on November 30, with assurances that the remaining compensation, following the guidelines of the Natural Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), would be disbursed after the central government released the funds.However, the delay has left farmers in a state of distress.
Farmer leader Sidagouda Modagi from Belagavi expressed frustration, stating, “In the first place, whatever interim relief the government has announced is a meagre amount. On top of it, making farmers wait for months is like inflicting insult on them. The government must disburse relief immediately.”
The opposition BJP and JD(S) have joined in the criticism, accusing the state government of insensitivity towards farmers. Former CM HD Kumaraswamy said, “Siddaramaiah often claims his government walks the talk. But in this case, it has failed to keep its words.”
Officials attribute the delay to the implementation of a new system for disbursing input subsidies. Rashmi Mahesh, principal secretary, revenue (disaster management), explained, “We are integrating data from Parihaar and Bhoomi portals and also crop survey data in the FRUITS (Farmer Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System) database, which is going to be more scientific and comprehensive. Under the new system, farmers need not even apply for input subsidies or give details about their land holdings and crops.”
The process, covering about 68 lakh farmers, is 80% complete, with verification ongoing in Challakere taluk, Chitradurga district, on a pilot basis. Mahesh expressed hope that the entire data integration and verification process would conclude by the next weekend, with relief disbursement commencing in the second week of January.
The severe drought, labelled the worst in the last 125 years, has affected over 48 lakh hectares of crops in Karnataka, with 223 out of 236 taluks declared drought affected. The state government has sought Rs 18,177 crore in relief from the Centre.