DKS writes to PM seeking immediate interim drought relief

You don’t have any Active Subscription.

Account subscription benefits alongside Premium Stories, Editorials, Opinions and more. Unlock these with Subscription

Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighting the worsening drought situation in Karnataka, with 177 taluks now declared drought-affected and the situation likely to intensify in the coming months.

In the light of the grim situation, Mr. Shivakumar has sought immediate interim drought relief of 50% of the sum sought in an earlier memorandum to the tune of ₹ 3,705.30 crore, pending completion of the formal assessment process by a Central team. He has also sought advance release of the Central share of the second instalment of State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).

Mr. Shivakumar has said that large-scale crop losses, likely exceeding 40 lakh hectares, is predicted in Karnataka.

"This support will help Karnataka undertake immediate relief measures for crop losses, drinking water supply, livestock protection and other essential interventions,” he has said in the letter, stating that the the prolonged rainfall deficit has severely impacted the rural economy.

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.