Bengaluru, Sep 23 Karnataka Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ensure release of 50 per cent of the state’s drought relief memorandum amount as interim financial assistance, citing the worsening situation across the state.
In a letter to Modi, he recalled his September 10 communication seeking Rs 3,705.30 crore in assistance for immediate drought relief measures in 101 drought-declared taluks.
He said the drought situation had further aggravated and, based on a scientific assessment under the parameters prescribed in the Manual for Drought Management, 2020, the state government had declared an additional 76 taluks drought-affected.
“This brings the total number of drought-affected taluks to 177,” he said, adding that the number could cross 200 by the end of the 2026 southwest monsoon season.
The losses and damages in the newly declared drought-hit taluks are being assessed, and an additional memorandum seeking assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) will be submitted after completion of the assessment, Shivakumar said.
The chief minister pointed out that the southwest monsoon is Karnataka’s principal rainfall season and that rainfall during June-August is crucial not only for Kharif agriculture but also for reservoir replenishment, hydropower generation, fodder availability and groundwater recharge.
“The substantial rainfall deficit experienced during the current monsoon season has, therefore, had a cascading impact across these sectors,” he said.
Shivakumar expressed particular concern over low reservoir storage, especially in the Cauvery basin, saying it could adversely affect drinking water availability in Bengaluru and adjoining districts in the coming months.
With the southwest monsoon entering its final phase and the state continuing to face a substantial cumulative rainfall deficit, the drought situation was likely to intensify further in the coming months and become more acute during summer, he said.
The continuing deterioration in rainfall and moisture conditions was also likely to result in large-scale crop losses, potentially exceeding 40 lakh hectares, the CM said.
Shivakumar noted that an Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) was proposed to visit the state for a first-hand assessment of the losses and damages.
He said the established process involved placing the IMCT report before the Sub-Committee of the National Executive Committee, followed by consideration of its recommendations by the High-Level Committee.
“While this established process provides for a comprehensive and robust assessment, it is necessarily time-consuming, particularly in the context of a rapidly evolving drought situation,” he said.
In view of the severity and progressive intensification of the drought, Shivakumar requested Modi to release 50 per cent of the memorandum amount as interim financial assistance, pending completion of the prescribed assessment and approval process.
Such assistance would enable the state government to undertake immediate relief measures, particularly input subsidy for crop losses, drinking water supply, livestock protection and other essential interventions, he said.
The chief minister also requested the Centre to release in advance its share of the second instalment of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) to augment the resources available to the state for timely drought-relief measures.
(PTI News)
