Karnataka Seeks Urgent Central Aid as Drought Hits 177 Taluks
Karnataka requests urgent Central assistance as drought hits 177 taluks, with crop losses estimated at over Rs 46,324 crore.
The drought situation in Karnataka has escalated to a critical level, prompting the state government to make an urgent plea for financial assistance from the Union Government. With 177 taluks now officially declared drought-affected, the economic devastation is mounting, with total crop losses estimated at a staggering Rs 46,324.5 crore.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G Parameshwara has escalated the matter by writing separate letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The letters highlight the devastating impact on rural livelihoods and the desperate need for coordinated action to provide timely relief to the farming community.
Expanding Scale of the Crisis
The scale of the disaster has grown significantly through successive assessments. Initially, the state had submitted a memorandum for the Kharif 2026 season seeking Rs 3,705.30 crore for 101 taluks. However, a subsequent scientific evaluation identified an additional 76 taluks in need, bringing the total to 177. The crisis shows no signs of slowing down, as officials are currently conducting ground-truthing in another 40 taluks.
State officials warn that the situation could worsen further. Based on ongoing assessments, the number of drought-affected taluks is projected to surpass 220 by the end of the monsoon season.
Devastating Impact on Crops and Horticulture
The damage to the state's agricultural backbone is widespread. In the 76 newly declared taluks alone, crop damage has been reported across 26.08 lakh hectares of agricultural land and 1.49 lakh hectares of horticultural areas. The severity of the damage is extreme, with losses ranging from 33 per cent to a total 100 per cent wipeout in many areas. Most affected regions have reported losses exceeding 50 per cent.
The primary victims of this dry spell include:
- Major Agricultural Crops: Tur, maize, cotton, sugarcane, soybean, and green gram.
- Horticultural Crops: Onion, arecanut, and red chilli.
Across all 177 affected taluks, the total area of reported crop loss has reached nearly 47.09 lakh hectares. The state government estimates that the total crop loss for the Kharif 2026 season could eventually exceed 55 lakh hectares.
Financial Demands and Policy Revisions
To combat this crisis, Karnataka is seeking a total of Rs 7,142.64 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms. This request is broken down into two main categories:
- Input Subsidy: Rs 4,998.60 crore to help farmers recover cultivation costs.
- Essential Supplies: Rs 2,144.04 crore for critical measures including fodder and drinking water supply.
Beyond immediate funding, Deputy CM Parameshwara has called for a fundamental overhaul of how relief is calculated. In his letter to Amit Shah, he argued that the existing norms for the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and NDRF are outdated. He pointed out that current input subsidies do not reflect the modern, much higher costs of cultivation, leaving farmers with only a fraction of their actual losses.
"The relief provided to farmers should more realistically reflect the current cost of cultivation and the actual economic impact of crop losses," the state emphasized, urging the Union Government to prioritize the revision of these norms during the 16th Finance Commission period.
In a parallel communication to Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Parameshwara welcomed the arrival of a Central team to assess the ground reality. He has requested that the Central assessment process be expedited to ensure that relief reaches the struggling farmers without further delay.