Karnataka drought: Crop loss may touch Rs 60,000 crore, says govt

Karnataka's crop loss from a severe drought is expected to reach Rs 60,000 crore, said DyCM G Parameshwara. The state has declared 217 taluks as drought-hit and is seeking financial relief from the Central government as per guidelines.

Karnataka Drought: Crop Loss May Touch Rs 60,000 Crore

The crop loss due to drought in Karnataka is likely to reach between Rs 50,000 crore and Rs 60,000 crore, with the state looking to seek drought relief from the Centre in accordance with its guidelines, Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G Parameshwara said on Saturday.

Parameshwara said 217 taluks in the state have been declared drought-hit, with loss assessment completed for 177 taluks. The second memorandum submitted to the Centre has estimated losses of around Rs 46,000 crore in these 177 taluks.

“The loss assessment process is also underway for another 40 taluks declared on October 1. When the loss estimates of all these taluks are combined, the loss is likely to be between Rs 50,000 crore to Rs 60,000 crore. The relief due to the state will be sought as per the guidelines of the Central Government,” he said.

Assessment and Verification Process

Responding to questions about 22 taluks yet to be declared drought-affected, Parameshwara said ground-truthing would be conducted before taking a decision. “During verification, one or two or three taluks may be found to be drought-hit. Some taluks in the coastal region do not have such a situation. Action will be taken based on the actual situation after verification,” he said.

He said recent rainfall would not affect the drought assessment process, as the government would consider rainfall and crop conditions over several months. “This rain may help the availability of drinking water to some extent, but will not be of much benefit to the crops,” Parameshwara said.

He said Central teams would be briefed about the rainfall and drought situation from May to September, which has been documented in the memorandum. “Three teams comprising Joint Secretaries and officials from various ministries including the Ministry of Agriculture and Ministry of Environment are arriving from the Central Government. These teams will visit three parts of the state and verify the actual situation of rainfall and crop loss,” he said.

Parameshwara said two memorandums had already been submitted to the Centre and a third and final memorandum covering all 217 drought-hit taluks would be submitted after the assessment of the remaining areas and verification by the Central teams.

Parameshwara Hits Back at BJP Over Form-7 Allegations

The Deputy Chief Minister also responded to the BJP's criticism of Congress leaders visiting the Chief Electoral Officer's office over allegations involving Form-7 applications and deletion of eligible voters. “We had not gone to protest. We had gone to submit a memorandum to the Election Commission. As they did not give us a proper reply, we sat there till they gave a reply. We are the ones running the government. Why would we go to protest?” he said.

Parameshwara alleged that FIRs had already been registered at several places in connection with Form-7 applications and claimed that applications had been collected, signed and submitted in bundles. He alleged that 50 to 60 applications belonging to people from the same community were submitted together in some bundles and questioned how the details had been obtained.

“This is a big scam. Where were Form-7 applications printed? They were printed centrally somewhere, with complete information printed. Then only the name and EPIC number of the applicant was entered and signed,” he alleged.

He said the state had requested the Election Commission to register an FIR in the matter and that the poll panel had informed the government that it would issue notices and wait for seven days before taking further action.

Kharge Writes to PM Modi Seeking Urgent Aid

Congress President and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge has also written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to seek urgent central assistance to Karnataka farmers amid the drought situation in the state. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Kharge said Karnataka was facing one of its gravest drought situations in recent years, with a significant rainfall deficiency, widespread crop losses and distress among lakhs of farming families. He said the state had sought Rs 3,705.30 crore in assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) framework against estimated losses of Rs 18,748.23 crore. (ANI)

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