SALAR NEWS

177 Karnataka taluks declared drought-hit: Deputy CM

The number is likely to rise to nearly 200 as further assessments are being completed

PTI

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Bengaluru, 22 Sept

Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said 177 taluks across the state are declared drought-affected and the number is likely to rise to nearly 200 as further assessments are being completed.

The special session of the Legislative Council to discuss the drought crisis also saw sharp exchanges between the Treasury and Opposition benches.

Parameshwara, moving a motion for a discussion on farmers' problems in the wake of what he termed a "Super El Nino-driven drought", said the rainfall deficit this year is the worst in over 150 years, comparable to the 1876 drought.

He said the state has received only 642 mm against the normal 852 mm of rain, with deficits of 46 per cent in South Interior Karnataka and 44 per cent in North Interior Karnataka.

"This is not a drought limited to four or 10 Taluks, it has affected the entire state," Parameshwara said.

He added that crop loss is estimated at around 82 per cent and that many farmers have lost two rounds of sowings.

He outlined the government's response -- an initial declaration of 101 drought-affected talukas, followed by 23 more, and now 53 additional talukas, taking the total to 177.

"This is a continuous process based on ground-truthing and Central guidelines of 2020. We cannot arbitrarily declare talukas; they must meet the criteria," he said, noting that another 20-30 taluks may be added in the next round.

Parameshwara said the state has already released Rs five crore per district for drinking water and Rs one crore per MLA constituency, and that a first memorandum seeking Rs 3,500 crore in relief for the initial 101 taluks (where losses are estimated at Rs 18,000 crore) has been sent to the Centre.

He proposed an all-party delegation to meet the prime minister and union ministers to press for more assistance.

"This session is not limited to just drought, but also discussion on farmers' problems. I request all members to forget party differences and focus on how we can help farmers survive," he said.

Participating in the discussion, leader of opposition in the council, Chalavadi Narayanaswamy agreed that the situation was grave.

He, however, questioned why the government did not act sooner despite advance warnings from the India Meteorological Department four to five months ago.

"Even during the S M Krishna government, cloud seeding started as soon as drought warnings came. Why was this government silent," Narayanaswamy asked, alleging that the administration failed to show alertness at a critical time.

He claimed that during the previous BJP government, Rs 100 crore had been released immediately to each District Commissioner for drought management, compared to the current Rs five crore per district, and criticised the absence of a dedicated disaster management sub-committee.

"Files are gathering dust. If you did not take emergency measures, this remains only in words," he said.

Narayanaswamy also highlighted distress among sugarcane growers in the Cauvery basin, particularly in Mandya, where he said sugarcane area has dropped from 44 lakh hectares last year to 18 lakh hectares this year due to water shortage.

He cited farmer suicides, fodder scarcity, borewell failures, and power cuts as evidence of worsening agrarian distress.

Narayanaswamy accused the government of visiting Delhi "dozens of times for leadership issues" but never raising the drought with the Centre.

Ministers interjected, insisting that procedures under Central guidelines had to be followed and that relief was being provided.

The cross-talk escalated into din, with members speaking over each other and the opposition leader repeatedly seeking time to complete his speech.

Council Chairman Saleem Ahmed made several attempts to restore order, asking members to calm down to allow the speech to proceed.

When the noise continued and orderly debate became difficult, Ahmed briefly adjourned the proceedings, saying the House would reassemble after a short break to resume the discussion.