Drought-hit farmers to get subsidy in 15 days

Decision on Rs 232-crore package was taken nearly two months ago

The Karnataka government on Monday directed the authorities to disburse within the next 15 days the compensation to small and marginal farmers for crop loss due to drought.

A decision on the Rs 232-crore compensation package for providing agricultural input subsidy was taken nearly two months ago, at a Cabinet sub-committee meeting headed by Deputy Chief Minister K S Eshwarappa on September 2.

On Monday, the meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar and attended by deputy commissioners and chief executive officers decided that the subsidy should reach those entitled within the next two weeks.

After the day one of the meeting, Water Resources Minister Basavaraj Bommai told mediapersons that the Revenue department was directed to take up revival of Nemmadi Kendras and streamline the services provided by these centres.

It was also resolved that priority be accorded to works of forest, sericulture, revenue and other departments which would deploy the entitled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Bommai said the deputy commissioners were instructed to clear and issue around 12,000 Bhagyalakshmi bonds kept pending for various reasons to the entitled within the next few days.

The government has also given its go ahead for taking up phase five of the Suvarna Grama scheme and finalised the guidelines for developing 30 km of rural roads in each of the 189 rural legislative Assembly constituencies in the State, Bommai said.