Karnataka’s drought-affected list could expand by another 8-10 taluks, or more, after ground-level verification is completed in 23 taluks, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said on Friday. The state has already declared 217 taluks drought-hit and is preparing a final memorandum seeking financial assistance from the Centre.
Parameshwara said the ground-truthing reports were expected on Friday or Saturday and would determine whether the additional taluks meet the prescribed criteria for inclusion. The assessment will form the basis for calculating losses and identifying the assistance Karnataka will seek under the Centre’s guidelines.
“The ground-truthing reports are expected today or tomorrow. Based on the information available to me, another 8-10 taluks, or possibly more than 10, could qualify,” Parameshwara told reporters in Bengaluru.
The state government will compile the findings into a memorandum covering the extent of losses and the relief it is requesting. The Centre will examine the memorandum before deciding on assistance, according to the Deputy Chief Minister.
Chief Minister D K Shivakumar has proposed taking an all-party delegation to New Delhi to meet the prime minister, the agriculture minister and the home minister, who is also responsible for disaster management. Parameshwara said the delegation would seek central assistance for the state during the drought situation.
“We want to take an all-party delegation. The chief minister has said so. We will request the Centre in person to provide assistance to the state during this distress situation,” he said.
The proposal comes as the government seeks to consolidate district-level assessments into a state-wide request for relief. Parameshwara said the government had held divisional-level meetings in Kalaburagi, Belagavi and Chitradurga to review conditions. He added that the chief minister and he had visited districts to assess the problems.
The possible expansion of the drought list will depend on whether the 23 taluks satisfy the prescribed criteria after the verification exercise. Until those reports are completed, the final number of drought-affected taluks remains unsettled.
Parameshwara also said the government would appeal to opposition leaders to join the proposed delegation. If they declined, he said, the government would proceed with its own delegation to seek relief from the Centre.
Responding to allegations that the government was using an alleged sting operation involving the chief minister and some ministers to divert attention from the drought, Parameshwara rejected the charge. He said the government had responded after recognising that drought conditions were emerging and had not ignored pressing public concerns.
The next step is the completion of ground-truthing in the 23 taluks, followed by the preparation and submission of Karnataka’s final memorandum to the Centre. The state will then await the Centre’s assessment of the losses and its decision on the assistance sought.
