Kharge urges Modi to release Rs 3,705 Cr as K'taka faces severe drought
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New Delhi: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah seeking urgent Central intervention and assistance for Karnataka, which he said is facing one of its most severe drought situations in recent years.
In a letter dated October 1 and shared on Saturday, Kharge said Karnataka had recorded a 58 per cent rainfall deficiency as of September, resulting in widespread crop losses and distress among lakhs of farming families.
He said the state had sought Rs 3,705.30 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) framework against estimated losses of Rs 18,748.23 crore.
Kharge urged the Centre to formally declare the drought, conduct an immediate assessment of the damage and take measures to safeguard drinking water supplies. He also called for a Central team to be sent to Kalyana Karnataka without delay to assess the situation on the ground.
Seeking release of the entire Rs 3,705.30 crore requested by the state, Kharge said the amount should be sanctioned under NDRF and SDRF norms without any reduction.
He also sought measures to protect small and marginal farmers, including calculating input subsidies using Karnataka's updated Bhoomi land records instead of the 2015-16 Agriculture Census. He said this would help ensure that eligible farmers are not left out.
Kharge further urged the Centre to treat 11 additional taluks currently undergoing ground-truthing, along with any other areas meeting the required criteria, as part of the same continuing drought event for Central assistance.
He also sought enhanced support for drinking water security and the cost of substitute power, citing low reservoir levels in the Cauvery and hydel catchments.
Kharge said assistance should reach Karnataka urgently, keeping in view the distress affecting more than 31 lakh farming families. He described drought relief as a humanitarian necessity and called for timely support for water, fodder, livelihood security and other essential needs.
With IANS inputs