Karnataka’s drought list could expand by another 8-10 taluks, or possibly more, after the state completes ground-truthing in 23 areas and prepares a final memorandum seeking central assistance, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said on Friday.
The state has already declared 217 taluks drought-affected. Ground-truthing reports for the additional 23 taluks were expected on Friday or Saturday, after which the government will determine whether they meet the prescribed criteria for drought declaration.
Parameshwara said the government would use the assessment to calculate crop and other losses and estimate the assistance required from the Centre under its guidelines. The findings will be incorporated into a final memorandum that will be submitted for consideration by the Union government.
The process shows how drought relief is tied to administrative verification rather than declaration alone. Taluks under review must be assessed against prescribed criteria before they can be added to the official list, while the state’s financial claim will depend on the documented scale of losses and the assistance norms applied by the Centre.
Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has proposed taking an all-party delegation to New Delhi to meet the prime minister, the Union agriculture minister and the Union home minister, who is also in charge of disaster management. The proposed delegation is intended to seek relief for Karnataka during the current distress situation.
Parameshwara said the government would appeal to opposition leaders to join the delegation. If they declined, he said, the government would proceed with its own delegation. The Centre will examine the memorandum before deciding on the relief sought by the state.
The government has held divisional-level meetings in Kalaburagi, Belagavi and Chitradurga to review drought conditions. Parameshwara also said that he and the chief minister had visited districts to assess local problems. The ground-level reviews are expected to inform the final estimate of losses and the list of areas eligible for drought-related assistance.
The scale of the current assessment is significant for Karnataka’s rural economy and water management systems. Any addition to the drought list would expand the number of administrative areas requiring relief measures, while the final memorandum will determine how the state presents its needs to the Centre.
The next immediate milestone is the completion of ground-truthing reports for the 23 taluks. The state government will then finalise the drought assessment, calculate the assistance sought and submit its memorandum to the Centre.
