Karnat​aka seeks Rs 2,434 crore for drought relief

The Karnataka government on Tuesday submitted a memorandum to the Centre seeking financial assistance amounting to Rs 2,434 crore under the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) for drought relief measures.

During severe drought and devastating floods between July and August, the state registered a loss amounting to Rs 16,662.48 crore.

Revenue Minister RV Deshpande and Agriculture Minister NH Shivashankara Reddy met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi on Tuesday, and submitted the detailed memorandum, pressing the State's claims. The memorandum followed a series of visits by Revenue Minister and elaborate study by revenue officials in districts. Singh told Deshpande that he will soon send a team of experts to Karnataka to do their own assessment of the damage.


In its memorandum, the state government stated, “Karnataka has faced severe drought and devastating floods during Kharif 2018. On the one hand, the parts of Malnad and coastal districts were affected by floods associated with landslides/ mudflows during July-August and on the other hand, the majority of the districts in interior Karnataka are reeling under severe drought.”

The Karnataka government also touched upon the issue of water levels in reservoirs, saying that this year the levels are better than the previous years.

The government also claimed that they have taken the required steps to ensure enough work availability under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGS).