Karnataka Drought Relief 2026: Rs 5,000 Per Farmer, First Instalment Rs 2,500 Released, How to Check Status

Updated: 6 November 2026

There is a strange silence in the fields of Karnataka this year. Where green crops should be standing tall at this time of the year, the dry soil now lies split into cracks. A farmer walks to his field in the morning, picks up a handful of earth, and the same question turns in his mind that is turning in the mind of every farmer in thousands of villages – will the crop survive this time, and if it does not, how will the house run? The rains did not support the farmers this year, wells and tanks have dried up, and power shortages have made irrigation even harder. When news of help from the government arrives in such a time, the first question for every farmer is the same – who will get this help, how much will they get, and when will it reach my bank account?

This guide gives the complete information about that help, in the right order. First, you will learn how serious the drought in Karnataka is and what decision the government has taken. Then comes the full calculation of the money – how much per acre, how much in total, and how it will come in instalments. After that, you will find the district-wise progress, the eligibility rules, the process by which beneficiaries are selected, and most importantly, how to check the status of your own payment online. At the end, you will find answers to the questions farmers are asking the most.

One thing must be said clearly at the start. Every date and every amount in this guide comes from official announcements and trusted news reports. Where the information is still incomplete, we have written clearly that the date has not been announced yet. Do not trust a date guessed by any blog or video – when the money will come can only be known from the official portal and your own bank account.

Karnataka Drought Relief 2026: Key Facts at a Glance

Detail	Information
State	Karnataka
Date of announcement	5 November 2026
Announced by	Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar (Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru)
Total relief per eligible farmer	Rs 5,000 (Rs 2,500 per acre, up to a maximum of 2 acres)
First instalment	Rs 2,500 – released on 5 November 2026 through DBT
Second instalment	Rs 2,500 – within 15 to 20 days of 5 November 2026 (around 20-25 November 2026)
Total amount for the first phase	Rs 1,260 crore
Drought-affected taluks	226 taluks (out of 240)
Crop damage	Crops damaged across 57.93 lakh hectares
First tranche	Yadgir district – Rs 17.43 crore to 1,06,462 farmers
Mode of payment	Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), directly to the Aadhaar-linked bank account
Application	No form needed – selection from the Parihara portal, digital crop survey and FRUITS database
Portal to check status	parihara.karnataka.gov.in

How Serious Is the Drought in Karnataka?

This drought is one of the most severe Karnataka has ever faced. Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar himself said that in his lifetime he has never seen such a severe drought. The 2026 south-west monsoon was 35 percent deficient, the second-lowest since 1956. Out of the state’s 240 taluks, 226 have been declared drought-affected. This declaration was made after field-level verification and in accordance with the guidelines of the Central government.

According to the joint crop loss assessment report, drought has damaged crops across 57.93 lakh hectares in Karnataka. In a letter to the Prime Minister dated 4 November 2026, the Chief Minister said that 11.97 lakh hectares could not even be sown. Except for the Krishna, no dam in the state has filled up, reservoirs are at 65 percent capacity, drinking water is being supplied by tankers in 861 villages, and more than 2,300 Gram Panchayats face a drinking water crisis.

The scale of the loss is so large that the state government has reported losses of Rs 62,000 crore to the Centre and sought relief of Rs 22,400 crore. The Chief Minister has sought an appointment with the Prime Minister and proposed taking an all-party delegation to press for central assistance. Three central teams have already visited the drought-affected areas. The state government has released the first instalment of Rs 2,500 from its own resources, while it waits for assistance from the NDRF.

How Much Money Will You Get? Understand the Per-Acre Calculation

The government has decided to give input subsidy of Rs 2,500 per acre, up to a maximum of 2 acres. That means one eligible farmer will get a total of up to Rs 5,000. Earlier, the one-time input subsidy was Rs 2,500; the government has now doubled it to Rs 5,000. This money will come in two instalments – the first instalment of Rs 2,500 and the second instalment of Rs 2,500.

Affected land	Total relief	First instalment	Second instalment
Up to 1 acre	Rs 2,500	Rs 2,500	–
1 to 2 acres	Rs 5,000	Rs 2,500	Rs 2,500
More than 2 acres	Rs 5,000 (maximum limit)	Rs 2,500	Rs 2,500

Please note – the relief is calculated on the basis of the affected crop area, and the maximum limit is 2 acres. If your affected land is more than 2 acres, the total relief will still be Rs 5,000. This amount is separate from crop insurance (PMFBY) claims. Check the status of your crop insurance claim separately on pmfby.gov.in.

First Instalment and Second Instalment: When Will the Money Come?

The first instalment was released on 5 November 2026. Chief Minister D. K. Shivakumar and Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara pressed the button at Vidhana Soudha, Bengaluru, to release the first instalment. A total of Rs 1,260 crore has been released for the first phase, and it is being sent directly to farmers’ bank accounts through DBT.

The second instalment of Rs 2,500 will come within 15 to 20 days of 5 November 2026, that is, around 20 to 25 November 2026. The Chief Minister said that funds will be mobilised in 15 days to give the second instalment. No fixed date for the second instalment has been announced yet – as soon as the date is fixed, this guide will be updated.

One more thing is important to know. Apart from the Rs 5,000, the remaining approved input subsidy under the revised norms will be released in a single instalment once the state receives the necessary funds from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). That means farmers may get further relief after central assistance arrives, but its amount and date are not fixed yet.

District-Wise Progress: How Much Money Has Reached Which District?

In the first tranche, Rs 17.43 crore has been released in Yadgir district, reaching 1,06,462 farmers at Rs 2,500 per farmer. After Yadgir, payment files are being prepared for 15 more districts, and the first instalment will be given to eligible farmers in these districts at the earliest.

District	Status (as of 6 November 2026)
Yadgir	Rs 17.43 crore released – 1,06,462 farmers at Rs 2,500 per farmer
Uttara Kannada	Payment file being prepared
Kolar	Payment file being prepared
Koppal	Payment file being prepared
Chamarajanagar	Payment file being prepared
Dharwad	Payment file being prepared
Ballari	Payment file being prepared
Bidar	Payment file being prepared
Bengaluru Urban	Payment file being prepared
Haveri	Payment file being prepared
Bengaluru South	Payment file being prepared
Davanagere	Payment file being prepared
Dakshina Kannada	Payment file being prepared
Kalaburagi	Payment file being prepared
Mandya	Payment file being prepared
Vijayanagara	Payment file being prepared

The first instalment will be given to eligible farmers in all districts as soon as possible. If your district is not in this list, do not worry – all eligible farmers in the 226 drought-affected taluks will get this relief. Check your status on the Parihara portal by the method given below for the latest district-wise payment position.

Who Is Eligible? The Eligibility Rules

This relief is for farmers whose crops have been affected by the drought. Beneficiaries are selected on the basis of crop loss assessed at the field level. Your crop loss must be recorded in the digital crop survey and the Parihara system, and your name must be in the state farmer database (FRUITS).

A few things are necessary for eligibility. First, your land must be in one of the 226 taluks declared drought-affected. Second, your crop loss must be verified – this work is done at the level of the Village Accountant (VAO) and the Tahsildar. Third, your bank account must be linked with Aadhaar, because the money will come only through DBT. If your bank account is not Aadhaar-linked, the payment can get stuck – so first go to your bank and get the Aadhaar linking done.

Understand one thing clearly – there is no separate application form to fill for this relief. The government itself is selecting eligible farmers from the Parihara portal, the digital crop survey and the FRUITS database. If anyone asks you for money in the name of filling a form or getting your name added to a list, that is fraud. Do not pay any agent or middleman.

How Are Beneficiaries Selected? Understand the Parihara System

Parihara is Karnataka government’s own system, built by the Bhoomi Monitoring Cell in 2016-17. This system sends input subsidy directly to the bank accounts of farmers affected by natural calamities such as drought, floods, hailstorms and landslides.

The selection process works like this. The Village Accountant (VAO) collects information about crop damage and enters it into the Parihara system. This information passes through the Tahsildar, the Assistant Commissioner and the Deputy Commissioner. The farmer’s details from FRUITS (the state farmer registry) and the land information from the land records system (Bhoomi) get linked automatically. The digital crop survey data is also combined into it. When all the information is verified, the money is sent through DBT from the Calamity Relief account of the Deputy Commissioner, using the K2 Treasury system, to the farmer’s bank account.

In this whole process, the farmer does not need to go anywhere. No form, no queue, no documents to submit. Just make sure that your FRUITS ID and your Aadhaar-linked bank account are correct.

How to Check the Status of Your Money? Step by Step

The best way to know whether the first instalment has reached your account is the Parihara portal. On the portal, the payment status can be searched by mobile number, FRUITS ID, survey number or Aadhaar number. The village-wise payment list can also be downloaded from the portal.

First, open the official portal parihara.karnataka.gov.in.
On the home page, choose the “Payment Status” or “Farmer Payment Status” option.
Enter your mobile number, FRUITS ID, survey number or Aadhaar number.
Choose your district, taluk, hobli, village, year, season and calamity type (Drought).
Click on “Get Report” – your payment status will appear on the screen.
If the money has come, the amount and date will be shown. If it has not come yet, the status may show “Under Process” or pending.

Apart from this, also check your bank account. When money comes through DBT, the bank sends an SMS, and the passbook shows a DBT or Parihara-related entry. If the portal shows the payment but the money has not reached your account, first contact your bank and check the Aadhaar linking and NPCI mapping. If the problem still remains, contact your taluk revenue office or the district agriculture office.

What Happens Next? NDRF Assistance and Further Relief

The state government has sought relief of Rs 22,400 crore from the Centre, while the total loss has been reported as Rs 62,000 crore. The Chief Minister has sought an appointment with the Prime Minister and proposed going to Delhi with an all-party delegation. Three central teams have already visited the drought-affected areas.

When the funds arrive from the NDRF, the remaining approved input subsidy under the revised norms will be released in a single instalment. Its amount and date will be decided after the NDRF funds are received. The drought is also increasing the state’s expenditure on free electricity for farmers – the cost is expected to rise from Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 30,000 crore due to higher consumption, and even then there are power shortages in many places.

If you have also taken crop insurance (PMFBY), check the status of its claim separately. A PMFBY claim is different from this relief and is settled through the insurance company. There is also a standoff over the PMFBY premium in Karnataka – the Centre has paid its share of Rs 1,342 crore, but the state’s share of Rs 1,680 crore is still pending.

Karnataka Drought Relief 2026: Frequently Asked Questions

How much money will each farmer get under the Karnataka drought relief?

Each eligible farmer will get a maximum of Rs 5,000. This amount is given at Rs 2,500 per acre, up to a maximum of 2 acres. The first instalment of Rs 2,500 was released on 5 November 2026, and the second instalment of Rs 2,500 will come within 15 to 20 days.

When will the second instalment come?

The second instalment will come within 15 to 20 days of 5 November 2026, that is, around 20 to 25 November 2026. The Chief Minister said that funds will be mobilised in 15 days to give the second instalment. No fixed date has been announced yet.

Do I need to apply for the drought relief?

No. There is no form to fill. Beneficiaries are selected automatically from the Parihara portal, the digital crop survey and the FRUITS database. If anyone asks for money in the name of filling a form or adding your name to a list, that is fraud.

How do I check whether the money has come to my account?

Go to the official portal parihara.karnataka.gov.in, choose “Payment Status” and enter your mobile number, FRUITS ID, survey number or Aadhaar number. Also check the bank SMS and the DBT entry in your passbook.

Which districts’ farmers will get the money?

All eligible farmers in the 226 drought-affected taluks will get this relief. The first tranche was released in Yadgir district (Rs 17.43 crore to 1,06,462 farmers). Payment files are being prepared for 15 more districts – Uttara Kannada, Kolar, Koppal, Chamarajanagar, Dharwad, Ballari, Bidar, Bengaluru Urban, Haveri, Bengaluru South, Davanagere, Dakshina Kannada, Kalaburagi, Mandya and Vijayanagara.

What should I do if my name is not on the list?

First check your status on the Parihara portal and make sure your FRUITS ID and Aadhaar-linked bank account details are correct. If your crop loss has not been recorded, contact your Village Accountant (VAO) or the taluk revenue office. If your bank account is not Aadhaar-linked, the payment can get stuck, so get the Aadhaar linking done at your bank.

Will there be more relief after the Rs 5,000?

It is possible. The remaining approved input subsidy under the revised norms will be released in a single instalment once the funds are received from the NDRF. The state government has sought Rs 22,400 crore of relief from the Centre. Its amount and date are not fixed yet.

Official Links

Parihara portal – check payment status: https://parihara.karnataka.gov.in/
Karnataka Government official portal: https://www.karnataka.gov.in/
Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana – claim status: https://pmfby.gov.in/

Check your status only on the official portals given above. Do not pay any agent or middleman. There is no form to fill for the drought relief and no fee is charged. If you have any doubt about the date, the amount or the eligibility, contact your taluk revenue office or the district agriculture office.

Read also

Disclaimer: This article is published by a private information portal, not a government website. The information given here is based on the Karnataka government’s announcement of 5 November 2026 and reports from The Hindu BusinessLine, IANS and ANI. The date of the second instalment has not been announced yet. Please verify the information on the official portal parihara.karnataka.gov.in before checking your payment status.