Ensure 25% interim crop insurance relief for drought-hit farmers: Tangadagi

Minister and Koppal district drought management in charge Shivaraj Tangadagi on Thursday directed officials to ensure that farmers who have suffered extensive crop losses due to deficient monsoon receive 25% interim crop insurance compensation at the earliest.

Chairing a progress review meeting on drought conditions and crop damage in Koppal, the Minister said that nearly 80% of crops had been damaged across almost all taluks owing to inadequate southwest monsoon rainfall, leaving farmers in severe financial distress.

Mr. Tangadagi said he had personally toured different parts of the district over the past two days to assess the drought situation and crop losses. Since most farmers had already enrolled under the crop insurance scheme, he instructed the Deputy Commissioner to coordinate with insurance companies to ensure that 25% of the insured amount was released as interim relief without delay.

“The crops sown by farmers have withered due to lack of rainfall, and many will not even recover their cultivation costs. Officials should closely monitor the process and ensure that insurance companies provide timely interim compensation,” he said.

The Minister asked the Agriculture Department to create awareness among farmers about alternative crops suitable for the changed weather conditions. If possible, the deadline for crop insurance enrolment should be extended to enable more farmers to benefit from the scheme.

He directed tahsildars, executive officers, agriculture officials and gram panchayat development officers to remain at their headquarters and respond promptly to farmers’ grievances. Insurance companies, he said, should not reject genuine claims on technical or unnecessary grounds.

Priority to drinking water, fodder and rural employment

Mr. Tangadagi instructed the officials to accord equal priority to ensuring uninterrupted drinking water supply in drought-hit areas.

He said the State government had sanctioned ₹1 crore to each taluk for drinking water management and asked officials to prepare action plans covering new borewells, pipeline works, repairs and hiring of private borewells after obtaining approval from the local MLAs.

With drought likely to intensify the drinking water crisis in the coming months, he stressed the need for effective utilisation of the funds.

Expressing concern over the impact of the drought on livestock, the Minister told the officials to prevent fodder scarcity by establishing fodder banks and supplying fodder kits wherever necessary.

1.91L hectares affected

Deputy Commissioner Suresh B. Itnal informed the meeting that against the normal rainfall of 155.7 mm between June 1 and August 4, the district received only 98.5 mm. Gangavathi and Karatagi taluks had recorded severe rainfall deficiency, while the remaining taluks also experienced below-normal rainfall.

He said the sowing target for the district was 3,49,892 hectares, but only 2,41,995 hectares had been covered so far, accounting for 69% of the target. In comparison, about 3.74 lakh hectares had been sown during the corresponding period last year.

According to the district administration, 1,90,667 hectares of crops have been damaged due to deficient rainfall. The Deputy Commissioner said that 1,56,013 hectares had already been covered under the crop insurance scheme and that a proposal had been submitted to the insurance company seeking interim compensation for affected farmers.

Leader of the Opposition’s Chief Whip and Kushtagi MLA Doddanagouda Patil, MLC Hemalatha Naik, district in-charge secretary K.P. Mohanraj, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Varnit Negi, Superintendent of Police Ram L. Arasiddi, and district and taluk-level officers attended the meeting.