Mallikarjun Kharge seeks ₹3,705 crore aid for Karnataka drought, urges PM Modi to intervene

Congress president and Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene urgently in Karnataka’s worsening drought situation and ensure the release of ₹3,705.30 crore in central assistance sought by the state.

In a letter to Modi dated October 1, Kharge called for a fresh assessment of drought-hit areas, the inclusion of additional sub-districts undergoing assessment and urgent measures to tackle drinking-water shortages and declining reservoir levels.

The demand comes as Karnataka faces widespread crop losses and mounting water stress. The state had initially sought ₹3,705.30 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) framework against estimated crop losses of ₹18,748.23 crore.

Since the initial memorandum covering 101 drought-affected sub-districts, the extent of the crisis has widened. By October 1, Karnataka had declared 177 taluks drought-affected, while ground-truthing was continuing in additional areas. The state has indicated that the number could rise further.

Rainfall deficit and crop losses

Kharge said Karnataka received 477mm of rainfall between June 1 and August 31, against a normal 691mm, resulting in a 31% deficit during the period. He described it as the state’s second-lowest cumulative southwest monsoon rainfall in 50 years.

The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre’s latest data also shows the severity of the rainfall shortfall. As of October 1, the state had received 545.2mm during the southwest monsoon against a normal 852mm.

According to estimates cited by Kharge, crop losses stood at ₹18,748.23 crore across 19.52 lakh hectares. He said the continuing drought had placed Karnataka’s farming community in a severe crisis and called relief a humanitarian imperative.

The situation has since been assessed as even more extensive by the state government. Reports on October 1 put the estimated crop losses at ₹46,324.5 crore across nearly 47.09 lakh hectares following the declaration of 76 additional drought-affected taluks.

Kharge's demands for central assistance

Kharge’s principal demand was the immediate and complete release of the ₹3,705.30 crore sought by Karnataka under NDRF norms.

He also sought the deployment of another Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) to Kalyana-Karnataka for a specific ground assessment, citing the severity of the situation in the region.

A separate central assessment exercise is already under way. The Union government announced that a central team would conduct a ground assessment in Karnataka from October 3, with three teams visiting drought-affected regions. Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan had said the Centre would assess the situation on the ground before determining assistance.

The state government has sought assistance for 101 taluks under its initial memorandum, while subsequent assessments have expanded the number of drought-affected areas. On October 3, Chief Minister D K Shivakumar met the central inter-ministerial team led by Union Agriculture Ministry Joint Secretary Ajit Kumar Sahu as it began its assessment.

Kharge also urged the Centre to complete the drought declaration process for additional areas undergoing ground-truthing and treat qualifying areas as part of the same continuing drought event while calculating central assistance.

Bhoomi records and farmer relief

Kharge raised concerns over the method used to calculate input subsidies for small and marginal farmers.

He urged the Centre to use Karnataka’s updated Bhoomi land records rather than the 2015-16 Agriculture Census for determining eligibility and assistance.

According to Kharge, 73% of farmers in Karnataka hold less than two hectares of land. He argued that continued reliance on decade-old census data could exclude thousands of eligible small and marginal farmers from drought relief.

“Calculate input subsidy on the basis of Karnataka’s updated Bhoomi land records rather than the outdated 2015 to 16 Agriculture Census, so that no genuinely eligible farmer is excluded,” Kharge said.

The request comes amid the state government’s wider criticism that existing input-subsidy norms do not adequately reflect the scale of crop losses and current cultivation costs.

Drinking water and reservoir concerns

Kharge also asked the Centre to enhance assistance for drinking-water arrangements and meet the cost of substitute power generation, citing depleted reservoirs in the Cauvery basin and their effect on hydel power generation.

He said Karnataka’s 13 major reservoirs had a combined storage of 668.95 TMC against a total capacity of 865.23 TMC as of August 31.

The Krishna Raja Sagara reservoir, an important source of drinking water for Bengaluru, was at 64% of its capacity, according to the figures cited in his letter.

Kharge warned that more than 2,000 gram panchayats could face drinking-water stress from February 2027 onwards if the situation worsens.

The Union government has separately advised drought-affected states to prepare crop plans based on available water and soil moisture, with different strategies for rain-fed and irrigated areas.

Appeal to keep relief separate from politics

Kharge urged the Centre to accord Karnataka’s memorandum the highest priority and release the assistance without further delay.

“I write to you on behalf of the people and state of Karnataka seeking your personal and urgent intervention in sanctioning relief in view of the severe drought affecting the state,” Kharge said, adding that the situation could potentially become the worst drought in 150 years.

He said the agrarian crisis should not be affected by political differences between the Centre and the state government.

“Ensure that the assistance due to Karnataka is released on merit and with the utmost urgency, uninfluenced by political considerations,” Kharge said.

He added that timely assistance would be needed for sustenance, fodder, drinking water and livelihood security for millions of affected people.

Kharge has also written to Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking intervention on the drought situation, according to reports.