Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday assured the Legislative Assembly that farmers whose crops have been destroyed by heavy rains will receive compensation as per disaster relief norms, once an ongoing joint survey is completed.

Replying during Zero Hour to questions raised by BJP legislator Cement Manju and Congress MLAs Allamaprabhu Patil and J.T. Patil, Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy acknowledged the widespread damage to standing crops across several districts due to incessant downpours.

“The government has taken serious note of the crop losses. A joint survey by the Agriculture and Revenue departments is already underway. Once the survey report is submitted, compensation will be extended under the NDRF guidelines. In addition, crop insurance claims will be settled in time to ease the distress of farmers,” Cheluvarayaswamy told the House.

The minister said the state had been working to expand the safety net of crop insurance so that more farmers are covered during calamities. “Earlier, only 16 lakh farmers had registered for crop insurance. Since this government came to power, the number of farmers enrolled has gone up to 27 lakh. This has been done to ensure that a maximum number of farmers can benefit in times of crop loss,” he said.

Officials have reported that in Belagavi and Vijayapura districts, excessive irrigation and flooding have affected fields, creating slushy and waterlogged conditions. The minister said funds would be released to restore these areas.

Citing the example of Kalaburagi district, Cheluvarayaswamy informed the House that farmers there had received ₹660 crore in crop insurance settlements last year, of which nearly half has already been disbursed. The remaining payments, he assured, would be released soon.