Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and Kalaburagi district in-charge Priyank Kharge addressing a press conference at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Kalaburagi on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
All five sugar factories in Kalaburagi district and one in Yadgir district have agreed to pay farmers ₹2,950 per tonne of sugarcane within 14 days of procurement, said Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj and Kalaburagi district in-charge Priyank Kharge on Sunday (November 16, 2025).
Addressing a press conference at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Kalaburagi, he said that the Chief Minister had held multiple rounds of discussions with sugar mill owners and their representatives before finalising the cane price, keeping farmers’ interests in mind. “We discussed the issue with the factory management as well. They have agreed to pay the fixed price of ₹2,950 per tonne,” he said.
Crop loss and compensation
The Minister said that heavy rains in August and September – 69% excess in August and 63% excess in September – had caused widespread crop damage in the district.
As per the joint survey by Agriculture, Horticulture and Revenue Departments conducted under NDRF guidelines, crop loss was reported in 3,24,205 hectares. He said that the details of affected farmers had already been uploaded to the PARIHARA software. “A total of 3,26,183 farmers will receive ₹250.97 crore as compensation. The amount will be credited to their bank accounts within the next three to four days,” he said.
₹243.41 crore mid-season adversity payout under crop insurance
Mr. Kharge said that under the crop insurance scheme, the government has approved ₹243.41 crore as Mid-Season Adversity compensation for insured farmers whose cotton, red gram, sunflower and turmeric crops were hit by excessive rainfall. The payout covers 2,67,560 farmers and 3,35,046.2 hectares.
He added that under the “localised calamity” category, 22,385 farmers who reported crop loss in black gram, green gram, soybean and other crops will soon receive ₹8.79 crore directly into their bank accounts.
FRP and MSP a Centre’s responsibility
Responding to questions on Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) and Minimum Support Price (MSP), the Minister said the responsibility of fixing FRP and MSP lies with the Union government. He criticised the BJP leaders for raising the issue only selectively and accused them of double standards.
On RSS route march
Responding to a query over the controversial route march of RSS in Chittapur, Mr. Kharge said that the RSS was compelled to follow the terms and conditions of the district administration and in line with the High Court’s directions. “We have fixed the number of participants, the route, and the conditions. Everything happened accordingly,” he said.
He also commented that the organisation should be brought under audit once it is registered, noting that “guru dakshina collected by an unregistered organisation must also come under scrutiny.”
On Bihar results
Responding to questions on whether the Bihar election results would influence Karnataka, Mr. Kharge said that victories and defeats were a part of electoral politics. “Will voters be brought from Bihar? We have accepted our defeat in Bihar. But when there was such a strong anti-incumbency wave, the vote share they secured raises questions. Let the data come out. We will see,” he said.
Pointing to the alleged irregularities in the recent elections in Aland and Mahadevpur Assembly segments in Karnataka, he said that he would soon place documents before the media. He also criticised the Election Commission, saying it did not object to the release of funds to women in Bihar before the polls but acted differently in Telangana.
Mr. Kharge also declared that he would soon place documents before the media regarding alleged irregularities in the utilisation of KKRDB funds when BJP was in power.
Published – November 16, 2025 03:46 pm IST
