R. Ashoka accuses Karnataka govt of harassing farmers over drought compensation

Bengaluru, Oct 30 : Leader of Opposition R Ashoka on Friday accused the Karnataka government of harassing drought-hit farmers by imposing unnecessary conditions and delaying the disbursement of compensation, alleging that farmers were being forced to navigate bureaucratic hurdles to receive even the meagre relief of Rs 2,500.

Targeting Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Ashoka questioned the government's commitment to farmers, pointing out that the proposed one-time drought compensation of Rs 2,500 was subject to as many as 17 conditions.

In a series of social media posts, Ashoka alleged that farmers who had suffered crop losses due to inadequate rainfall were being forced to visit government offices repeatedly to secure the relief amount.

He questioned the need for multiple requirements, including registration on the FRUITS portal, Aadhaar linkage, farmer identification and bank account details, when farmers were already struggling with crop losses.

"Does the government lack the intention to compensate farmers, or is its treasury empty? If it cannot provide relief, let it admit it openly instead of harassing farmers through a maze of conditions," he said.

Ashoka alleged that nearly four months had passed since the failure of the monsoon, but the government had failed to complete the process of identifying affected farmers and preparing compensation lists.

He accused the government of shifting the burden of technical issues involving the FRUITS portal, Aadhaar linkage, bank accounts and land records (RTC) onto farmers instead of resolving them through the administration.

Demanding immediate intervention, the BJP leader urged the government to relax unnecessary conditions, finalise the list of eligible farmers and transfer the compensation directly into their bank accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

He questioned why farmers were being made to struggle for such a small amount despite having suffered substantial agricultural losses.

"Compensation for the sweat, hard work and crop losses of farmers is not charity but their right," Ashoka said, urging the Chief Minister to stop testing the patience of the farming community.

He further challenged Shivakumar to apologise to farmers and resign if the government was incapable of delivering the promised relief. He warned that continued neglect of farmers' grievances would trigger a strong backlash against the Congress government.

The criticism comes amid growing opposition to the government's decision to provide a one-time drought relief of Rs 2,500 per farmer, with the BJP and farmer organisations demanding substantially higher compensation.

The government has authorised the release of the first instalment of drought relief, but concerns persist over the conditions imposed for its disbursement.