Farmers in Yadgir receive low compensation, ultimatum to government to pay full amount

Farmers in Yadgir district have registered their protest against irregularities in the drought relief amount announced by the state government. According to a report by 'The Hindu', farmers in the district have not received the full compensation amount announced by the government, leading to significant resentment among them. During a press conference held on Wednesday, social activist Umesh Mudnal stated that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had recently announced during a video interaction that affected farmers would be provided financial assistance of ₹2,500 per acre through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Along with this, a promise was also made to provide an additional ₹2,500 as a second instalment within 15 days.

However, in reality, instead of ₹2,500, only ₹1,200, ₹1,500, or ₹2,000 have been credited to the accounts of most farmers as the first instalment. To rectify these serious discrepancies, the farmers have given the government seven days. Umesh Mudnal warned that if the full compensation amount is not credited to the farmers' accounts within the stipulated deadline, a widespread protest will be conducted across the state. He also targeted officials of the local revenue and agriculture departments. According to him, these departments have failed to conduct proper field surveys to accurately estimate crop damage.

During the press conference, Shrishail, a farmer from Saidapur village, expressed his plight, stating that he had sown cotton on 10 acres of land, but his crop was completely destroyed due to continuous drought and lack of rainfall for a long period. Against the ₹2,500 compensation announced by the government, he received only ₹1,500. He further stated that the farmers of Yadgir have been facing recurring natural disasters like drought and floods for years. The district administration should conduct a proper assessment of crop damage as per the rules so that farmers can receive fair compensation. Several farmers, including Mahesh, Yallesh, Hanumant, and Shivkumar, were present at the meeting.

Yadgir is a district in the state of Karnataka, known as an agriculture-dominated area. The farmers of this region primarily depend on cotton and other kharif crops. In the past, this region has frequently faced drought conditions, due to which the economic condition of the farmers has been constantly weakening. Cases of crop failure have been recorded in the district previously as well, following which demands for compensation have been repeatedly raised by the farmers.