The first instalment of Rs 2,500 has been released, while discrepancies caused by incorrect bank details and loan adjustments are being verified and will be rectified, Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said.Karnataka to give Rs 5,000 drought relief per farmer in two instalments. The Karnataka government will provide drought relief of Rs 5,000 to every eligible farmer in two instalments, even if the Centre does not release its share, Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said on Wednesday, according to news agency Press Trust of India.The first instalment of Rs 2,500 has been released, while discrepancies caused by incorrect bank details and loan adjustments are being verified and will be rectified, he said.āNobody needs to panic.
Even if the Centre does not provide the funds, we have decided to give up to Rs 5,000. We will pay it in two instalments,ā Shivakumar told reporters in Bengaluru.He said the government had worked out a formula to ensure that the assistance reached all eligible beneficiaries. āThe money has reached accounts where the account numbers and other details are correct.
We will rectify the cases where the money has not reached the beneficiaries,ā he said. Explaining the calculation, Shivakumar said the relief had been fixed at Rs 2,500 per acre, while the total assistance promised to each farmer was Rs 5,000.āIf there is any variation, I will look into those cases separately.
Nobody needs to worry,ā he said. He rejected suggestions that the payment discrepancies were caused by lapses on the part of officials.
The money was being transferred through a common system, and the problems were mainly linked to bank accounts and loan adjustments, he said.Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara also said the government would immediately correct the discrepancies and ensure that every eligible farmer family received the announced compensation, PTI reported.Parameshwara, who holds the revenue portfolio, said the government had set aside Rs 1,250 crore for the first phase, covering about 50 lakh farmer families, and planned to allocate an equal amount for the second phase.āSome farmers have received Rs 1,500, while others have received Rs 2,000. It appears that officials have calculated the amount on a per-acre basis while transferring the money through direct bank transfers.
We have already instructed them to rectify this lapse,ā he said.He said the government had announced Rs 2,500 per farmer family in the Assembly, but officials had misunderstood the order, resulting in different amounts being paid. There was no shortage of funds as the required amount had already been released to the department, he added.According to Parameshwara, the confusion arose from a misunderstanding of national disaster relief guidelines.
Officials have now been told to follow the prescribed minimum compensation of Rs 1,500 per hectare.The government plans to provide Rs 2,500 each to about 50 lakh eligible farmer families in the first phase and another Rs 2,500 in the second phase, taking the total assistance to Rs 5,000 per family.āThe estimated amount of Rs 1,250 crore for the first phase will be distributed. We will not allow injustice to any farmer in the distribution of relief,ā he said.The difference in payments will be released after approval from the Finance Department.
The government will also examine whether the pending amount can be combined with the second instalment, allowing beneficiaries to receive Rs 3,000 or Rs 3,500 depending on how much they have already received.A pilot exercise has begun in Yadgir district and will be extended to all districts. The second instalment of Rs 2,500 will be distributed after the first phase is completed, and the government has a clear picture of the payments, Parameshwara said.On the state's pending assistance from the Centre, Parameshwara said the government had written more than two weeks ago seeking an appointment but had not received a response.
The state would consider taking an all-party delegation to Delhi after securing an appointment with the Prime Minister, he added.Parameshwara also said farmer suicides had declined compared with previous years. He said the government's legislation to regulate microfinance institutions and its decision to defer loan repayments for six months would help prevent the harassment of farmers.On the recent increase in the prices of essential commodities such as milk and curd, he said the government did not want to justify the rise but blamed the Centre's āfailureā to provide Karnataka its fair share of financial assistance.āIf the Centre provides the state with the funds it is entitled to, there will not be an additional financial burden on the state.
In that situation, there would be no compulsion to increase prices,ā he said.He said milk production in Karnataka had declined this year and the government had a responsibility to ensure fair prices for milk producers. Rising diesel prices and agricultural input costs had also increased farmers' difficulties, he added.- Ends