Karnataka’s drought relief proposal to Union government sees upward revision of ₹1,818 crore following changes in SDRF norms

A farmer walks in dry farmland, Shivamogga district, in drought-stricken Karnataka. | Photo credit: SK Dinesh

While revising the drought relief proposal from ₹20,585.73 crore to ₹22,400.58 crore, the state government has sought the Centre’s urgent intervention for early consideration and release of drought relief for Karnataka, which is currently facing one of its worst droughts in decades.

Following a review of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) assistance standards by the Home Office on 26 October 2026, there has been a change in drought assistance.

Appointment sought

Seeking the appointment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Agriculture and Farmers Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara said in letters to the three leaders that 226 taluks have been affected by drought and extensive crop damage has been caused to around 57.93 lakh hectares. ₹62,481.88 crore. “The crisis has caused enormous financial problems for thousands of farming families,” the letter says.

After the MHA changed the SDRF norms for the period between 2026-2027 and 2030-2031, Karnataka’s demand for input subsidy on crop losses increased from ₹6,128.70 crore to ₹7,943.554 crore – resulting in an increase of ₹4.85 crore in the total demand to ₹20,585.73 crore on 22 ₹400.58 crore. Other previously presented components remained unchanged.

Still very low

While welcoming the Union government’s decision to help revise the cost of input subsidy, Mr. Parameshwara said that even after the revision, it is still low at ₹11,000 per hectare for rain-fed crops, ₹22,000 for irrigated crops and ₹30,000 for the cost of permanent seeds, agricultural fertilizers and agricultural crops. other important inputs.

He questioned the center’s reliance on the 2015-2016 Census of Agriculture data to determine eligibility for disaster relief, saying the decade-old data on land ownership does not adequately reflect current agricultural realities and could potentially deprive eligible small and marginal farmers of assistance. Instead, he urged the Center to consider adopting Karnataka’s OVOCE database, which provides a current and verified basis for identifying beneficiaries.

Published – 03 Nov 2026 23:30 IST