Drought: Shah to chair meeting in Delhi on Saturday to decide on Karnataka’s request for funds

Home Minister Amit Shah will chair a high-level committee meeting in Delhi on Saturday where the Centre will take a call on Karnataka’s request for funds to take up drought relief programmes, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said.

The CM, speaking to the media in Mysuru, expressed hope that the Centre would concede the state’s request as he got a positive response from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah during his Delhi visit. Modi listened to him attentively when he explained about the acute drought situation and promised to provide necessary succour, he added.

Siddaramaiah met the PM on Tuesday and Shah on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum seeking immediate release of Rs 18,177 crore to deal with the widespread drought.


The CM had been upset that the committee had not met even once to discuss Karnataka's request despite the state suffering from acute drought. Until the committee meets and gives its approval, the state will not get the funds, the CM said in a post on social media platform X.

The state's memorandum to the PM highlighted that 223 out of the 236 taluks had been hit by drought, with 196 of them severely affected.

The CM had said on Tuesday that nearly three months had lapsed since Karnataka submitted its first memorandum and two months since the inter-ministerial central team made its field visits.