State seeks Rs 3,705 crore drought relief from Centre

Bengaluru: A central drought study team headed by Ajit Kumar Sahu has assured Karnataka that it will conduct a three-day assessment of the drought situation and submit an objective report to the Union government after examining ground realities and official data.

The assurance came after Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar urged the team to consider the severity of the drought and provide Karnataka with fair compensation. Shivakumar and Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara held a meeting with the team at the Chief Minister’s home office, Krishna, and submitted a detailed report on the drought situation.

The state government has sought ₹3,705.30 crore in drought relief under National Disaster Response Fund norms. Shivakumar said the government was particularly concerned about the difficulties faced by farmers and sought adequate assistance based on the actual situation.

The state has sought ₹241 crore for establishing 583 fodder storage units, ₹21.27 crore for transportation of medicines and vaccines and ₹21.40 crore for nutritious feed for livestock. Another ₹583 crore has been sought for distribution of fodder-seed kits.For drinking-water supply in drought-hit areas, the government has sought ₹805 crore under SDRF norms. It has also requested ₹300 crore to provide drought relief to farmers for 90 days, calculated at ₹327 per day.

The meeting was attended by Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh and senior officials from the Revenue, Finance and other departments. Meanwhile, Minister H.C. Balakrishna said recent rainfall had improved greenery in some areas. He said the state would submit its proposal to the Centre and await the relief package. He also said ₹2,500 drought assistance announced by the state would be credited to farmers’ accounts before Dasara.