Every eligible drought-hit farmer to get minimum Rs 5,000 relief: G Parameshwara

Every eligible drought-hit farmer to get minimum Rs 5,000 relief: G Parameshwara

Mangalore Today News Network

Bengaluru, Nov 11, 2026: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara on Tuesday assured that every eligible drought-affected farmer in the state would receive a minimum financial assistance of Rs 5,000, clarifying that farmers who received Rs 2,000 or Rs 2,500 in the first instalment would be paid the balance amount in subsequent instalments.

His clarification comes amid concerns raised by farmers over receiving amounts lower than the promised Rs 2,500 in the first instalment of drought relief. The opposition BJP has also criticised the Congress government over the discrepancies in payments.

"The government has decided to provide a minimum of Rs 5,000 to every eligible drought-affected farmer, and this commitment will be honoured," Parameshwara said in a statement.

He said the state government had issued an order on October 23 authorising the release of Rs 2,500 per eligible farmer as the first instalment of input subsidy.

As part of the drought relief programme, the government launched the distribution of Rs 17.43 crore to 1,06,462 farmers in Yadgir district on November 5, he added.

Explaining the variation in the amounts credited, Parameshwara said the existing State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) guidelines prescribed input subsidies based on the category and extent of agricultural land. The minimum assistance under these guidelines is Rs 1,500 for rainfed crops, Rs 2,600 for irrigated crops and Rs 3,200 for perennial crops.

However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and he had decided to go beyond these prescribed norms and ensure a minimum assistance of Rs 5,000 to every eligible farmer, irrespective of the size of their landholding, he said.

"A farmer cultivating half an acre suffers from the same drought, the same uncertainty and the same financial distress as a farmer cultivating several acres. The size of a farmer’s landholding should never determine the compassion of a government," he said.

Clarifying the pending payments, Parameshwara said farmers who had received Rs 2,000 in the first instalment would get the remaining Rs 3,000, while those who received Rs 2,500 would receive another Rs 2,500.

He further explained that Rs 5,000 was only the minimum assistance, and eligible farmers could receive an enhanced input subsidy ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 60,000, depending on the extent of crop loss and applicable guidelines.

The Deputy Chief Minister said he had instructed officials to ensure transparency in the disbursement process and expedite the release of the remaining instalments.

Stating that government guidelines should facilitate relief rather than create obstacles, he said the government would take necessary decisions wherever existing norms proved inadequate to address farmers’ difficulties.

He also appealed to farmers not to be misled by rumours and misinformation and urged opposition leaders not to politicise the issue. He assured that genuine grievances would be examined and cases in which eligible farmers received less than their entitled assistance would be reviewed.

Meanwhile, Karnataka BJP president B.Y. Vijayendra strongly criticised the Congress government over the issue, accusing it of failing to stand by drought-hit farmers.

He said the government should have provided relief and reassurance to farmers struggling with drought but was instead adding to their distress.

Vijayendra pointed out that the Chief Minister had promised Rs 5,000 in assistance to drought-affected farmers across the state, including those in severely affected Yadgir district, with Rs 2,500 to be credited in the first instalment.

However, the crediting of different amounts, including Rs 1,500 and Rs 2,000, into farmers’ bank accounts reflected what he described as the government’s irresponsibility, confusion in decision-making and anti-farmer attitude.

The BJP leader said drought relief was not charity but a right of farmers who had lost their crops and were burdened with debt. He alleged that the government had announced inadequate assistance and had failed even to release the promised amount in full.

Accusing the Congress government of going back on its assurance, Vijayendra demanded that the state immediately release the full Rs 5,000 to every eligible drought-affected farmer, including the pending amount.