Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara has written urgent letters to Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, seeking immediate Central assistance as the Kharif 2026 drought deepens across the state. The total relief sought under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms now stands at ₹7,142.64 crore across two phases of drought declaration.

Scale of the Drought

The number of drought-affected taluks has climbed from the initially declared 101 to 177, following a fresh scientific assessment that added 76 more taluks to the list. Ground-truthing is currently underway in an additional 40 taluks, and the total number of drought-affected taluks is expected to exceed 220 before the monsoon season concludes, according to Parameshwara.

Across all 177 drought-affected taluks, crop damage has been recorded over nearly 47.09 lakh hectares, with the estimated economic loss reaching ₹46,324.5 crore. The total Kharif 2026 crop loss is projected to exceed 55 lakh hectares.

Crop Damage in Newly Declared Taluks

In the 76 newly declared drought-affected taluks, crop damage has been assessed across 26.08 lakh hectares of agricultural land and 1.49 lakh hectares of horticultural crops. Overall crop loss in these taluks spans 27.57 lakh hectares, with an estimated economic loss of ₹27,576.2 crore.

Crop damage ranges from 33% to 100%, with a significant portion of the affected area recording losses exceeding 50%. Major food crops hit include tur, maize, cotton, sugarcane, soybean, and green gram, while horticultural crops such as onion, arecanut, and red chilli have also suffered severe damage. Under existing State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) norms, the required input subsidy for these taluks is estimated at ₹2,981.34 crore.

What the State Has Demanded

Of the total ₹7,142.64 crore sought under NDRF norms, ₹4,998.60 crore is earmarked for input subsidy to farmers, while ₹2,144.04 crore is sought for relief measures including fodder and drinking water supply. The state had earlier submitted its Kharif 2026 Drought Memorandum seeking ₹3,705.30 crore for the first phase of 101 taluks.

In his letter to Amit Shah, Parameshwara urged the Centre to expedite the long-pending revision of SDRF and NDRF relief norms, arguing that the existing assistance is inadequate given current cultivation costs and actual crop losses. He also wrote separately to Shivraj Singh Chouhan, welcoming a Central assessment team's visit to Karnataka and requesting that the process be fast-tracked for early release of relief.

Government's Position and What Comes Next

'Considering the scale and severity of the present drought, the State and Union Governments must work in coordination,' Parameshwara said, adding that 'farmers must receive timely and adequate support and that the relief provided should reflect the actual losses they have suffered.'

This comes amid mounting pressure on both state finances and farming communities in Karnataka, where back-to-back poor monsoons have eroded agricultural incomes. With ground-truthing still pending in 40 taluks, the final relief demand is expected to rise further as the season closes. Timely Central disbursement will be critical to preventing prolonged agrarian distress in one of India's major agricultural states.