KPRS seeks drought tag for all of Kalaburagi, ₹1,000 crore relief package

The Karnataka Prantha Raitha Sangha (KPRS) has urged the State government to declare the whole of Kalaburagi district drought-hit and to announce a ₹1,000 crore special package for relief, pressing its demand ahead of the three-day Special Legislature Session.

Speaking to reporters in Kalaburagi on Tuesday, KPRS district president Sharanabasappa Mamshetty pointed out that only six taluks in the district have been brought under the drought-hit category so far, even as distress spreads among farmers. He asked that the remaining taluks be included and that relief reach affected families without further delay.

The organisation also pressed for a farm loan waiver, the settlement of pending crop insurance claims, and the withdrawal of recovery notices that banks have issued to farmers. Mr. Mamshetty described such notices as anti-farmer at a time when cultivators are fighting to protect their crops and livelihoods.

A failed monsoon has left wells and borewells dry and pushed groundwater levels down, hitting kharif cultivation hard. Red gram, cotton, sugarcane, soybean, pulses and sesame have all suffered, and in several pockets farmers could not sow at all.

Mr. Mamshetty alleged that delayed relief, uneven drought declaration and shortfalls in crop insurance compensation have deepened the crisis. He called on both the State and Union governments to act immediately to support farmers reeling under heavy crop losses and mounting debt.