Siddarth Sethia
*Drought report to be submitted to Centre by month-end; Centre urged to release relief without delay.
*Opposition should submit its drought study report; no room for politics on the issue.
*Record 49 lakh farmers enrolled for crop insurance under Fasal Bima Yojana.
*Officials to be deployed at bus and railway stations to prevent distress migration.
*Podi campaign and declaration of revenue villages to continue;title deeds to be distributed.
*Steps underway to rescue Kannadigas affected by floods in Nepal.
The State Government has already released ₹117 crore to 31 districts. In addition, ₹189 crore has been released at the rate of ₹1 crore for each rural constituency.
In all, ₹306 crore has been released for drinking water supply.There is no shortage of funds to manage the drought situation,Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister Dr.G.Parameshwara said.
He further said that Deputy Commissioners currently have ₹329 crore in their PD accounts,and have been instructed to utilise the funds once drought is declared.
The Government is spending a total of ₹635 crore on drought management in the State.
According to the recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission,the Union Government has to sanction ₹1,239 crore to the SDRF, of which ₹450 crore is to be released as the first instalment.We are awaiting this release.The State Government will contribute ₹310 crore,” he said.
Out of the ₹300 crore Litigation Fund, ₹116 crore has been released.The overall drought loss has not yet been estimated.
The drought situation will be reviewed every 15 days, and additional taluks will be declared drought-affected if they qualify.
“We will submit our proposal to the Union Government by the end of this month.It will be submitted to the Prime Minister, Union Home Minister and Union Agriculture Minister,” he said.
“The 2023 drought caused losses of around ₹39,000 crore in Karnataka.We had submitted a proposal seeking ₹18,000 crore.
After our protest and the Supreme Court’s intervention, ₹3,500 crore was released. Such a situation should not arise again.
Considering the hardship faced by people and livestock, the Union Government should release drought relief without delay,”he urged.
The Chief Minister had instructed Ministers to visit drought-affected areas to instil confidence among the people.
The Ministers visited the affected areas and submitted their reports. Deputy Commissioners have also conducted ground-truthing and submitted reports.
“The Opposition has not submitted any report on its drought study. If they submit one, we will consider it. Farmers need relief and assistance.There should be no politics over this issue.I appeal to the Opposition to submit its report,”he said.
Under the Fasal Bima Yojana, a record 49 lakh agriculture and horticulture farmers have already enrolled for crop insurance this year.The Government has also actively encouraged enrolment in the interest of farmers.
Even if farmers are unable to sow due to inadequate rainfall, they can claim insurance compensation under the special ‘Prevented Sowing’ category.
To enable more farmers to make use of this provision, the last date for applying for crop insurance has been extended to August 31.
“I appeal to farmers to make use of the extended deadline and the benefits available under the scheme and ensure that they enrol for crop insurance,” he said.
To prevent distress migration due to drought, 16,460 works have been taken up under the VB-GRAM-G scheme, generating 66.73 lakh person-days of employment between July 1 and August 24.
A significant number of these works are related to drought management.“Officials will also be deployed at bus stands and railway stations to prevent distress migration.Necessary instructions will be issued to the concerned officers,”he said.
The Government will continue the Podi campaign, declare revenue villages and distribute title deeds to eligible people.“The campaign initiated by Krishna Byre Gowda will be continued,” he said.
Dr. Parameshwara said the Government is fully prepared to tackle the drought situation.We will effectively ensure employment for people, drinking water for people and livestock, and adequate fodder for cattle.
Once a taluk is declared drought-affected, SDRF funds can immediately be utilised for drinking water supply.
Further action on crop compensation will be taken after submitting the memorandum to the Union Government,” he said.
Steps to assist Kannadigas in Nepal:
Dr.Parameshwara said eight people from Bengaluru are stranded in Nepal following the floods, and steps are being taken to rescue them.
We have no information about any deaths.A helpline has already been opened.People can contact 1070 or 080-22253707,and necessary action will be taken.
If any of your family members or acquaintances are unreachable, please inform us immediately,”he said.
Senior officials will be sent to Kathmandu,and further action will be taken based on the information received.
“We have shared all the information officially available so far.The Resident Commissioner in Delhi has also been contacted and instructed to take immediate action,”he said.
