Drought hits rabi season leaving lakhs of farmers helpless

Bengaluru: The state government is about to declare drought in the rabi season leaving behind lakhs of farmers on relief owing to a technical criterion in the center’s guidelines. The northeast monsoon reported only 14mm of rainfall failing to meet the expected 40mm of rain. This was worsened by the reported 3mm rain till mid-December.

The cabinet sub-committee headed by revenue minister RV Deshpande met on December 12 and recommended the government to declare drought in rabi season.

As per the national disaster response fund guidelines laid down by the center to grant input subsidy as monetary relief for crop loss, only those who have sown seeds are eligible for the assistance. Around 32 lakh farmers cultivating rabi crops, only 15 lakh could sow making them eligible for the grant. This clause leaves more than 17 lakh farmers without relief as they couldn’t sow. A section of farmers are eligible to claim crop insurance under the ‘prevented sowing’ clause. However, most farmers have lost eligibility to claim insurance this year as their loan accounts are yet to be renewed in the wake of the delay in implementation of the loan waiver scheme by the government. Farmer leaders are urging the government to present Karnataka’s drought condition as a special case and get the Centre’s assistance in formulating special guidelines and grant its own funds.

“Usually, drought for rabi season is declared during February or March-end. But this time, the situation is so grave that the government wants to declare it early,” said GS Srinivasa Reddy, director of Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre.