The Karnataka government on Tuesday announced compensation to the tune of about Rs 223 crore, to farmers affected by loss of tur crop, due to pest attack in parts of the state. Considering the damage to tur crop in Bidar, Kalaburagi and Yadgiri districts as a "special case", the government has announced a compensation of Rs 10,000 per hectare, but limiting it to the maximum of two hectares as per NDRF/SDRF guidelines, the Chief Minister's office said in a statement.

The total compensation to be distributed to tur farmers will be around Rs 223 crore, it said. This decision was taken in a meeting of senior officials from various departments chaired by Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

Noting that due to unprecedented rains followed by dry/ moist weather conditions post November in Bidar, Kalaburagi and Yadgiri districts, the tur crop has been attacked by pests, causing loss to farmers, the statement said, according to statistics, the extent of damage is 1.98 lakh hectares in Kalaburagi district, 0.145 lakh hectares in Bidar, and 0.1028 lakh hectares in Yadgir district. All together tur crop in about 2.2278 lakh hectares has been damaged, it added.

Source - https://www.deccanherald.com