Mysuru district is experiencing a severe 55% rainfall deficit, with an estimated crop loss of ₹122 crore due to drought. The district was expected to receive 310 mm of rain between June and August, but only 140 mm fell, prompting urgent relief measures.
Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara chaired a drought‑review meeting at the Zilla Panchayat on 1 September 2026 after touring the affected Hunsur and K.R. Nagar taluks. He voiced alarm over the rainfall shortfall, a sharp drop in employment generation and poor enrolment in crop‑insurance schemes. Only 1.91 lakh person‑days of employment have been created since July 2026, a 55% fall from the 4.33 lakh person‑days recorded the previous year, prompting him to ask, “Are people not demanding work? What are the zilla panchayat CEO and the officials under him doing?”
He declared eight taluks – H.D. Kote, Hunsur, K.R. Nagar, Mysuru, Nanjangud, Saligrama, Saragur and T. Narasipura – as severely drought‑affected and directed officials to intensify relief measures.
On crop insurance, Parameshwara noted that while 49.64 lakh farmer applications covering 33,17,167 hectares have been registered statewide, only 20,836 farmers in Mysuru covering 8,046 hectares have enrolled. He warned, “Why are officials showing such negligence? Why have they not encouraged farmers to enrol? Irresponsibility will not be tolerated.”
The district holds 7,04,890 tonnes of fodder, enough for about 33 weeks, but availability drops to 25 weeks in Mysuru and Hunsur taluks and 26 weeks in Periyapatna. Parameshwara urged that borewell owners receive fodder seeds to grow fodder and said the government has released ₹25 crore to the Animal Husbandry Department for fodder‑kit distribution.
Drinking‑water shortages have been reported in 14 gram panchayats across six taluks. Six villages receive water via six tankers, nine villages via ten hired private borewells, and in urban areas 14 tankers supply water to 13 wards across three Urban Local Bodies.
He added that drought‑review meetings for the Belagavi and Kalaburagi revenue divisions have been completed and that he personally inspected conditions in Belagavi, Chitradurga, Tumakuru, Chickballapur and Kolar districts.
Joint Director of Agriculture K.H. Ravi told the meeting that 2,12,751 hectares – about 56% of the cultivable area – have been sown this year, with nearly half of the sown area damaged by deficient rainfall. By contrast, 3,76,609 hectares (around 76% of cultivable land) were sown last year.
The meeting was attended by Mysuru district in‑charge Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah, along with MLAs, MLCs and senior officials.