Central teams inspect drought-hit areas in Karnataka as the state seeks Rs 7,142 crore in relief from the Centre. (Images: X)
New Delhi/Bangalore: Karnataka’s drought crisis has come under a fresh assessment as three Central teams began a four-day field survey across 12 districts, even as the state government sought Rs 7,142.64 crore in relief from the Centre. The Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT) will inspect drought-affected areas, assess crop and other losses, and examine the situation on the ground. Karnataka has so far declared 217 taluks as drought-affected.
Three teams have been assigned separate groups of districts for the assessment. The team headed by Ajit Kumar Sahu will visit Tumakuru, Chitradurga, Davanagere and Vijayanagara. A second team led by Dr Sudham Bag will assess Hassan, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru and Mandya. The third team, headed by Dr Man Singh, will travel through Yadgir, Raichur, Bagalkot and Koppal.
The field assessment is expected to provide the Centre with a ground-level picture of the drought situation and the losses reported by the Karnataka government.
Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has urged the Central team to conduct a fair assessment and provide assistance under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms. According to the state government, 177 drought-hit taluks have recorded estimated losses of Rs 46,324.50 crore. Karnataka had initially declared 101 taluks as drought-affected and sought approximately Rs 3,700 crore in assistance. After another 76 taluks were brought under the drought-hit category, the state's relief demand was revised to Rs 7,142.64 crore.
The Karnataka government said the drought-affected areas were identified through a scientific assessment based on the Centre’s disaster-management guidelines. Shivakumar highlighted rainfall shortages, reduced inflows into reservoirs and drinking-water concerns in urban areas while seeking urgent assistance for affected communities.
The state government has maintained that farmers are facing significant hardship because of crop losses and inadequate rainfall across several regions.
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AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge has separately urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in Karnataka’s drought situation. In a letter to the Prime Minister, Kharge sought Rs 3,705.30 crore in assistance under the NDRF and State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) framework. Kharge said Karnataka was facing a severe drought situation, citing a 58% rainfall deficit as of September, widespread crop damage and hardship among farming families.
Kharge said the state had estimated losses of Rs 18,748.23 crore against its request for Rs 3,705.30 crore in assistance. He urged the Centre to expedite the drought declaration process and deploy a Central team to Kalyana Karnataka. He also sought consideration of the additional taluks that are undergoing ground verification.
Kharge further called for input subsidy calculations for small and marginal farmers to be based on updated Bhoomi land records rather than the 2015-16 Agriculture Census.
The Congress president also raised concerns over drinking-water availability and power-related costs amid low reservoir levels in the Cauvery and hydel catchment areas. He urged the Centre to enhance support for drinking-water security and compensate for additional power costs linked to the water situation.Kharge said drought assistance should be determined on the basis of the damage assessment and not political considerations, pointing to the impact of the crisis on more than 31 lakh farming families.
The four-day assessment by the Central teams is now likely to play an important role in determining the extent of assistance available to Karnataka under disaster-relief norms.
With hundreds of taluks declared drought-affected and the state reporting substantial agricultural losses. The focus is now on the Central team's findings and the subsequent decision on relief assistance.
