Amid growing concerns over a possible drought this year, Deputy Commissioner G. Lakshmikanth Reddy has directed officials to achieve 100 per cent coverage of the monsoon crop survey in Mysuru district, warning that any lapse could deprive thousands of farmers of drought relief and other government benefits.

Presiding over a meeting of the District Crop Survey Implementation Committee, Prime Minister Fasal Bima Yojana Committee, Pulses Self-Reliance Campaign Committee and Oilseeds Mission Committee here on Wednesday, Mr. Reddy said the survey, scheduled from July 1 to July 31, must be completed without leaving out a single farmer.

The district has 9.97 lakh agricultural plots across 1,301 villages, and the survey will be carried out by 1,009 personnel. Pointing out that previous surveys had recorded only 94-96 per cent coverage, he said even a one per cent shortfall this year could leave nearly 9,000 farmers outside the ambit of government assistance.

Speaking on the importance of accurate crop data, Mr. Reddy said compensation in the event of a drought declaration would be determined largely on the basis of crop survey records. “No farmer should be excluded from the survey,” he said.

The Deputy Commissioner instructed officials of the Agriculture, Horticulture and Sericulture Departments to identify inactive or unreliable survey personnel and arrange replacements immediately. Tahsildars will also be asked to closely monitor the exercise to ensure there are no disruptions.

Mr. Reddy highlighted the need to expedite the creation of Central FRUITS IDs, noting that 50,194 IDs are still pending in the district. Since the ID is mandatory for availing benefits under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme, officials were directed to complete registrations on priority and link all remaining land parcels to the FRUITS database.

Joint Director of Agriculture K.H. Ravi said efforts were under way to increase enrolment under the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana, particularly in view of the emerging drought situation. Awareness campaigns through village announcements and pamphlet distribution are being conducted as deadlines for crop insurance registration for certain pulse crops approach.

The meeting was also informed that subsidies for drip and sprinkler irrigation systems are available to both general-category and SC/ST farmers under the Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), and farmers were urged to take advantage of the scheme.

Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer S. Yukesh Kumar and officials from Agriculture, Horticulture, Sericulture and other departments attended the meeting.