Karnataka BJP urges LoP Gandhi to visit drought affected areas; questions Rs 2,500 as relief for farmers

Bengaluru, Oct 14 (IANS) Senior BJP leader R. Ashoka on Wednesday urged Congress MP and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, to visit drought-affected areas of Karnataka, assess the severity of crop losses and intervene to ensure adequate and timely relief for farmers. He also questioned the first instalment of input subsidy of Rs 2,500 per farmer recently given by the state government.

Notably, Karnataka has sought Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 12,000 crore in drought relief from the Centre, while the State Government recently released a first instalment of Rs 2,500 each to around 50 lakh farmers affected by the drought.

Under the Centre’s National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms, farmers are eligible for a total relief of Rs 8,500, comprising the Centre and State shares. However, as the Centre has not yet released its share, the State Government decided to release Rs 2,500 from its own funds as the first instalment.

The government has already spent around Rs 1,250 crore to provide the assistance to 50 lakh farmers.

In a letter to LoP Gandhi on Wednesday, Ashoka accused the government in Karnataka of failing to provide sufficient assistance to distressed farmers, claiming that even after four months, farmers had not received meaningful relief despite extensive crop losses.

He urged LoP Gandhi to seek answers from the state government and direct it to undertake relief measures on a scale comparable to those implemented by the previous BJP government.

Ashoka said Karnataka was facing one of its most severe drought situations in recent years, with a 35 per cent deficit in southwest monsoon rainfall, described in his letter as the worst recorded in the state since 1971.

The state government has declared 217 taluks drought-affected, with estimated crop losses of Rs 46,324.50 crore across approximately 47.09 lakh hectares, he stated.

He said the scale of the damage had severely affected the livelihoods, economic security and future of lakhs of farming families, making immediate government intervention essential.

Questioning the state government’s decision to provide an input subsidy of Rs 2,500 per farmer as a first instalment, Ashoka said the amount was inadequate even to meet the basic cost of preparing agricultural land.

Considering the extent of crop losses, rising agricultural debt and increasing cultivation costs, the assistance announced by the government would offer little meaningful relief to farmers who had lost an entire season’s income, he argued.

“Real and effective support is needed, not just support in name,” Ashoka said in the letter, adding that the government must demonstrate its commitment to farmers through adequate financial assistance rather than announcements.

To support his argument, Ashoka cited the assistance provided by the previous BJP government between 2019-20 and 2022-23. According to the figures mentioned in his letter, the government disbursed a total of Rs 6,651.15 crore in input subsidies to 51.90 lakh farmers for crop losses across 57.43 lakh hectares.

In 2019, crop losses were recorded across 9,72,517 hectares, and Rs 1,232.20 crore was provided to 6,71,314 farmers. In 2020, losses affected 19,68,247 hectares, with Rs 941.70 crore disbursed to 12,00,346 farmers.

In 2021, the government provided Rs 2,446.10 crore to 18,56,083 farmers for crop losses across 14,93,811 hectares. In 2022, Rs 2,031.15 crore was disbursed to 14,62,841 farmers for losses across 13,09,421 hectares, Ashoka stated.

He also cited the relief rates applicable during the previous government’s tenure, arguing that they were substantially higher than the assistance currently announced by the state government.

According to the letter, the rates for rain-fed crops were Rs 13,600 per hectare, including Rs 8,500 from SDRF/NDRF funds and Rs 5,100 as the state’s share. For irrigated crops, the assistance was Rs 25,000 per hectare, comprising Rs 17,000 from SDRF/NDRF funds and Rs 8,000 from the state government.

For perennial crops, the rate was Rs 28,000 per hectare, including Rs 22,500 from SDRF/NDRF funds and Rs 4,500 as the state’s share, he said.

Ashoka questioned why the current government was providing only Rs 2,500 per farmer despite the severity of the ongoing drought, when the previous government had disbursed substantial assistance during earlier droughts.

He urged the government to explain why it had not extended comparable support to farmers in the state.

Ashoka also criticised the delay in identifying and declaring drought-affected areas, saying farmers could not wait for administrative procedures while their crops dried up and their financial liabilities continued to mount.

He said agricultural loans, cultivation expenses and household needs did not wait for government notifications, and every delay in decision-making risked pushing vulnerable farming families into deeper economic distress.

The Opposition leader also pointed to concerns reportedly expressed by some Congress legislators over delays in declaring their constituencies drought-affected. He said such concerns raised questions about the government’s preparedness, administrative response and commitment to protecting farmers during a crisis.

Merely announcing relief would not be sufficient if the assistance remained inadequate, drought-hit areas were identified late and farmers continued to struggle to meet their basic needs, he argued.

Ashoka urged LoP Gandhi to seek explanations from the Karnataka government on six key issues, including the rationale for limiting assistance to Rs 2,500 per farmer despite extensive crop losses and the failure to provide higher relief from the state’s own resources.

He also sought clarification on delays in declaring drought-affected taluks, measures to ensure immediate disbursement of adequate compensation, and steps to address drinking water and fodder shortages, protect livestock and assist distressed rural families.

Further, he demanded a time-bound action plan to assess crop losses, identify eligible beneficiaries and ensure that no affected farmer was excluded from relief.

Ashoka appealed to LoP Gandhi to personally visit drought-hit districts, meet farmers and agricultural communities, and assess their difficulties firsthand. He urged the Congress leader to press Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and the state government to take immediate action.

He added that the government’s claim of being pro-farmer should be assessed based on the assistance actually reaching affected farmers rather than announcements and assurances.

Ashoka urged Rahul Gandhi to intervene without delay and ensure that the Karnataka government corrected its shortcomings and provided adequate and timely relief to all farmers affected by the drought.

–IANS

mka/rad