Karnataka farmers protest exclusion of taluks from drought relief lists

Farmers and agricultural organizations in Karnataka are protesting the state government's decision to limit drought-hit designations in Vijayapura district. While the government has declared 101 taluks as drought-affected across the state, only three taluks in Vijayapura—Vijayapura, Kolhar, and Nidagundi—have been included in the list.

The Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha has expressed strong indignation, demanding that all 13 taluks in the district be declared drought-hit. They have submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar through the Additional District Collector, requesting immediate relief for farmers facing severe crop damage due to inadequate rainfall.

In Jagalur, local residents and farmers are also protesting after the taluk was excluded from the official drought-affected list. Reports indicate that the monsoon has failed across 196 villages in the area, leading to the destruction of crops such as maize, ragi, cotton, and sunflower. Farmers face mounting debt from sowing and fertilizer costs, alongside a critical drop in groundwater levels.