Karnataka Drought: Parameshwara Says Centre Yet to Release NDRF Aid
Image: Deccan Herald (file)
Up to 80 per cent of crops have failed in parts of drought-hit Karnataka, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said in Bengaluru on Sunday, 25 October, as he pressed the Centre to release relief under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). He told reporters the state had sought an appointment with the Union government but had not been given one, PTI reported.
Farmers Wait for the Central Share
Parameshwara said the state Finance Department had approved release of compensation, which deputy commissioners will pay into farmers’ accounts once funds arrive, and asked that it not be delayed. “If the Centre and the State continue trading allegations, it is the farmers who will ultimately suffer,” he said. He asked Karnataka’s MPs and Union ministers from the state to back the demand.
The state has already paid a first instalment of ₹2,500 each to about 50 lakh farmers from its own funds, about ₹1,250 crore in all, IANS reported on 8 October. Under NDRF norms, Parameshwara said then, eligible farmers can receive ₹8,500 in total, shared by the Centre and the state.
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From ₹7,143 Crore to ₹20,586 Crore
The state’s own request has grown as more taluks were added. Memorandums presented to the Inter-Ministerial Central Team on 3 October covered 177 taluks and sought ₹7,142.64 crore, against an estimated loss of ₹46,324.50 crore. By 22 October, with 226 taluks declared drought-hit, Parameshwara wrote to the Prime Minister, the Home Minister and the Agriculture Minister seeking ₹20,585.73 crore, including ₹12,146.99 crore as livelihood support for 61.91 lakh small and marginal farmers. The state put rainfall in the 2026 southwest monsoon 35 per cent below normal. These loss figures are the state government’s estimates.
Central Team Report Still Pending
The central team toured the state from 3 to 6 October, and its assessment is the basis for any NDRF release. Earlier this month the Union Agriculture Minister said Karnataka’s request to relax NDRF norms would be examined, according to reports. BJP and JD(S) leaders indicated they would not join a state delegation to Delhi, Parameshwara said on 8 October. No response from the Union Home or Agriculture Ministry to Sunday’s remarks had been reported by 6:30 PM IST on 25 October, and no date has been set for a decision on the memorandum. The reservoir position in the south is in our report on post-monsoon storage; more in Daily Updates.
Source: Based on reporting by PTI via ThePrint, Vartha Bharati, The NewsMill and IANS via Punjab Kesari.
Image: Deccan Herald (file).
