Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday stated that the government has increased the compensation granted to farmers whose crops were destroyed by the recent rainfall and floods, in his reply in the Legislative Assembly.
"Despite the economic hardships caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government has made this decision. We are a pro-farmer government," declared Bommai.
"A compensation of Rs.13500 per hectare of crop loss has been fixed for irrigated lands. However, the state government has decided to pay an additional Rs.11500 in effect offering a total compensation to Rs.25000 per hectare" he further said.
"According to NDRF norms, crop loss per hectare in dryland farming is determined at Rs.6800. This compensation is less. We intend to raise it. So, the state government has decided to pay an additional Rs6800 from its own exchequer,” he added.
"In effect, Rs.13600 is being paid as crop loss compensation per hectare of dryland farming. Similarly, for irrigated lands, Rs.13500 has been fixed as compensation per hectare of crop loss. However, the state government has decided to pay additional Rs11500, in effect offering a total compensation of Rs.25000 per hectare,” he stated.
"Farmers having a total crop area of 12.69 lakh hectares would benefit from this. For horticulture crops Rs.18000 is being paid per acre. The state government has decided to pay an extra Rs.10000 per hectare, making it a total of Rs.28000," he added.
"The additional amount paid will cost the exchequer Rs.12000 crore," he said.
Earlier, Revenue Minister R Ashoka stated that the government has paid out Rs.926 crore in compensation to over 12 lakh farmers for crop losses caused by untimely rain and flooding this year. He stated that the government has implemented a transparent system in which crop loss survey information are electronically submitted and validated by the appropriate district administrations. The DCs then forward the report to the state government, which deposits the relief funds into the farmer's bank account.
This is a first-of-its-kind system in the country which ensures prompt payment of compensation. "The government has distributed Rs.521 crore to over 9.1 lakh farmers in the last 21 days," Ashoka said.
He stated that the government has submitted a memorandum to the Centre requesting Rs.1280 crore for flood damage sustained in October and November. A team from the Centre would be dispatched to survey the damage in the districts of Old Mysore, Haveri, and Dharwad.
The rains have caused extensive damage to Bengaluru Urban, Bengaluru Rural, Tumakuru, Kolar, Chikkaballapur, Ramanagar, Hassan districts.
