Subscribe Now! Get features like
Bengaluru: Three teams from the Central government are scheduled to arrive on Thursday for a comprehensive assessment, said state agriculture minister N Chaluvarayaswamy. This development comes after the Congress-led Karnataka government sent its report last month on the prevailing drought situation in the state to the Centre.
Talking to the media on Wednesday, he said that a total of 195 taluks had been declared drought-hit. Among them, 161 are severely affected, while 34 are moderately affected.
“A detailed report has already been submitted to the central government,” he said.
The State Government has submitted a memorandum to the Centre urging it to declare 195 taluks in Karnataka as drought-hit and of the 195, 164 taluks were facing severe drought conditions. Standing crops on four million hectares have been badly affected and the estimated loss is pegged at ₹22,000 crore, he said. Karnataka is likely to see crop damage up to 5.8 million tonnes, he said.
Three Central teams will visit Karnataka on Thursday and will assess the prevailing drought situation in the state till October 9. According to the officials, before commencing the assessment, the teams will meet chief minister Siddaramaiah in Bengaluru. The teams are scheduled to remain in the state until October 9, the teams will assess the drought situation in Belagavi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Dharwad, Chitradurga, Haveri, Gadag, Koppal, Vijayanagara, Chikkaballapura, Tumakuru and Davanagere districts.
Ahead of the visit, expressing concerns about the impact on kharif crop due to deficient rainfall, the minister has issued directives to officials from the revenue and agriculture departments. He asked them to expedite a joint survey to evaluate crop losses before the Central assessment team’s arrival. The aim is to present an accurate depiction of the prevailing drought situation on the ground, he said.
Chaluvarayaswamy said that the joint survey conducted by the revenue and agriculture departments is expected to provide crucial evidence to the Central team. “A survey has been conducted covering 95% of the affected crops. By the time the central teams arrive, this survey will be completed and the final report will be ready. Since we have assessed the crop loss of over ₹28,000 crore, we have sought compensation of ₹4,000 crore from the Centre under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF),” the minister said.
In response to the crisis, the government plans to extend the working days of MGNREGA workers from 100 to 150 days. Additionally, a task force, led by the deputy commissioner, will be established to oversee relief efforts, conducting weekly meetings in the districts. Minister Chaluvarayaswamy said the reduction in farmer suicides was attributed to the government’s five-guarantee scheme.
Addressing concerns about crop insurance, the government is contemplating a return to the previous system, directly managed by the government, starting the next year, he said.
Further, the Krishi Bhagya scheme, dedicated to constructing farm ponds, is set to receive ₹100 crore in funding this year, with additional allocations planned for the following year. Chaluvarayaswamy said that the previous BJP government discontinued the Krishi Honda (agricultural pond) scheme introduced by the Congress government in 2013. “Now we have recommenced it and have kept aside ₹200 crore to implement it,” he added.
Arun Dev is an Assistant Editor with the Karnataka bureau of Hindustan Times. A journalist for over 10 years, he has written extensively on crime and politics.
3 teams from Centre to visit Karnataka today – Hindustan Times
Leave a comment