K’taka to give ₹2.5k aid to nearly 5mn farmers
Karnataka will provide an input subsidy of ₹2,500 each to about 4.6 million to 5 million farmers affected by the drought, Deputy Chief Minister and Home Minister G Parameshwara told the legislative Assembly on Thursday.
Karnataka plans to provide ₹2,500 input subsidies to nearly 5 million farmers affected by the drought, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara announced in the state legislature. The government will spend ₹1,250 crore on this assistance, which will begin immediately. The drought declaration affects about 4.6 million to 5 million people, according to Parameshwara.
The state has declared 177 taluks as drought-affected, following guidelines set by the Central government. Parameshwara rejected accusations of political pressure influencing the drought list and stated that officials have not faced any punishment for including or excluding taluks. Despite suggestions of political influence, he affirmed that only those taluks meeting the prescribed criteria were declared drought-affected.
The announcement comes as Karnataka seeks additional financial support to aid farmers dealing with the prolonged rainfall deficit and crop losses. Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has requested the release of 50% of a ₹3,705.3 crore drought relief memorandum submitted to the Centre. The state has already registered 49 lakh farmers for crop insurance, a record number, and will contribute ₹1,242 crore to the crop insurance scheme.
Karnataka is also owed ₹922 crore from the State Disaster Response Fund, with ₹446 crore already received.
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