Chief Minister D K Shivakumar at the launch of Karnataka’s interim drought relief payments at Vidhana Soudha on November 5. Photo: Karnataka Chief Minister’s Office.
Bengaluru: Karnataka approved ₹5,000 in drought relief for eligible farmers and began the process of releasing the first ₹2,500 instalment on Thursday, the Chief Minister’s Office said. The assistance covers eligible land up to two hectares per farmer.
Chief Minister D K Shivakumar launched the first phase of interim input subsidy payments at Vidhana Soudha for crop damage during the 2026 monsoon. Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara and Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh attended.
The government said the money will go directly to farmers’ bank accounts through Aadhaar-based transfers. It said it would use records from the Parihara portal, the digital crop survey and the FRUITS database, and that farmers would not need to submit paper documents or visit government offices.
Karnataka declared 226 taluks drought affected, the Chief Minister’s Office said. The state is funding the interim payments from its own resources while awaiting assistance from the Centre. The government said it would pay the outstanding balance once central disaster relief funds are released.
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