Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has urged the Centre to expedite the process to ensure early release of funds from NDRF which would then facilitate timely disbursement of input subsidy and relief to the distressed farmers of the State.
In a letter to Union Minister for Agriculture Narendra Singh Tomar, Mr. Siddaramaiah requested to ensure that the Sub-Committee of National Executive Committee submits its recommendations at the earliest and expedite the early release of funds from NDRF to the State.
Karnataka has declared drought in 223 taluks out of 236 taluks out of which 196 taluks are categorised as severely-drought affected.
Agriculture and horticulture crop loss have been reported in more than 48 lakh hectares with the estimated loss (cost of cultivation) of ₹35,162.05 crore during the kharif season. The State government has sought ₹18,171.44 crore from NDRF for undertaking drought relief measures.
The State government has taken proactive and collaborative measures to mitigate the drought’s impact. In October, ₹324 crore from SDRF was released to 31 districts to take up immediate drought relief measures, the Chief Minister said.
