Puttur, 12 August 2026: Puttur officials told Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar during a statewide video conference that the taluk currently has no major problems related to drinking water or natural disasters.
The Chief Minister held a video interaction with government officials and staff across Karnataka on Tuesday to review the situation relating to rainfall, crop loss, drinking water, drought preparedness and other administrative issues.
Officials from around 750 locations across the state, including district and taluk-level offices, participated in the interaction. Shivakumar took part from the Banquet Hall of Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru along with ministers and senior officials, while Deputy Chief Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara joined the meeting from Kunigal.
A video conference facility was arranged at the Puttur Town Hall for taluk-level officials and staff. During the interaction, Chief Secretary Dr. Shalini Rajneesh asked officials from Dakshina Kannada district to provide an update from Puttur.
₹51.60 crore crop insurance paid
Puttur Tahsildar S.B. Koodalagi told the Chief Minister that arecanut and pepper growers in the taluk are covered under the crop insurance scheme. According to the Tahsildar, farmers in Puttur received a total of ₹51.60 crore in crop insurance compensation during 2024-25. He also said that the crop insurance registration process for the current season is under way.
The figure makes crop insurance one of the key issues for farmers in Puttur, particularly as arecanut and pepper are among the major crops cultivated in the taluk.
No major drinking water problem reported
Koodalagi said teams involving officials from different departments had been formed at the taluk level to deal with possible natural disasters. He said meetings of the task force committee had been held twice under the chairmanship of the MLA and that a helpline had also been opened. According to the Tahsildar, there was currently no major natural-disaster or drinking-water problem in Puttur taluk.
CM stresses drought preparedness
During the statewide interaction, the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Minister sought information from officials in several districts on crop insurance, rainfall deficiency, crop losses, drought conditions, water storage in reservoirs and drinking-water availability.
The Chief Minister instructed officials to ensure that every eligible farmer participates in crop insurance schemes. He also referred to reports that drought conditions could become more severe in September and directed officials to remain prepared at their respective centres.
Officials were also instructed to ensure adequate availability of cattle fodder and prevent drinking-water shortages.
The meeting also covered issues relating to SIR, including ensuring that no eligible voter faces difficulties and that officials maintain proper information regarding deleted names from electoral rolls.
A number that needs a closer look
The ₹51.60 crore crop insurance payout reported from Puttur is a significant figure for the taluk's farming community. However, the total amount alone does not show how widely the compensation reached farmers.
A clearer picture would require details such as the number of farmers who received the compensation, crop-wise payments, village-wise distribution and the number of claims processed or rejected. Such details would help farmers understand the actual impact of the crop insurance scheme in Puttur.
The current crop insurance registration process is also under way, making the availability of this information particularly relevant to farmers planning to enroll.
Officials attend from Puttur
Assistant Commissioner Stella Varghese, Puttur Taluk Panchayat Executive Officer Naveen Kumar Bhandari, DySP Pramod Kumar, Municipal Commissioner Vidya M. Kale, Taluk Health Officer Dr. Deepak Rai, Public Works Department official Rajesh Rai and officials from various departments participated in the programme.
Keywords
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