Karnataka has recorded 2,809 cases of farmer suicides over the past three years, the state government informed the Legislative Assembly on Monday, while firmly rejecting claims that its welfare schemes have failed. The data was shared in a written reply by Agriculture Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy to a question raised by BJP MLA Aravind Bellad.
According to the figures presented, 1,254 farmers died by suicide in 2023–24. This number declined slightly to 1,178 cases in 2024–25. In the current financial year, 2025–26, 377 cases have been reported so far, taking the total to 2,809. The government noted that the trend indicates a reduction in recent years.
However, the minister acknowledged that Karnataka continues to rank second in the country in terms of farmer suicides, based on data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). Year-wise and district-wise details have been provided to the Assembly in annexures.
On the issue of compensation, the government said that financial assistance has already been paid to many bereaved families. In several cases, payments are still pending due to technical problems related to the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) system. These include dormant or closed bank accounts, Aadhaar not being linked, NPCI mapping failures and frozen accounts.
The minister assured the House that compensation would be released once these issues are resolved. However, he clarified that some older cases cannot be settled due to restrictions imposed by the Finance Department.
Referring to a recent Finance Department order dated November 6, the minister said compensation in farmer suicide cases must now be cleared within nine months of the incident. In cases of accidental death and disability, payments are required to be completed within six months.
While acknowledging the seriousness of the issue, the government maintained that farmer suicides have declined compared to previous years and said ongoing interventions are beginning to show results.
