Gadag: Karnataka Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Tuesday said the government would soon announce a second list of drought-hit taluks after assessing the situation in accordance with the prescribed guidelines.
The government had last week declared 101 taluks drought-hit. Since then, people from several other taluks have been demanding that their areas also be included in the list, with protests and bandhs held in various places including Gadag.
Deccan Chronicle had also reported in detail on August 31 on the growing demand from several taluks, particularly in North Karnataka, for wider coverage under the drought declaration. The report, headlined ‘Karnataka: Drought List Sparks Protests As North Karnataka Seeks Wider Coverage’, highlighted protests and demands from areas left out of the initial list of 101 taluks.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with district-level officials at the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Gadag, Shivakumar said district in-charge ministers had visited every taluk and submitted reports on the ground situation. Officials were also carrying out their own assessment. Both reports will be examined before the final report is submitted to the Centre, he said.
“We have to declare drought as per the guidelines. We are studying the situation and will announce the second list shortly,” he said.
Shivakumar said the state’s assessment would also have to correspond with the Centre’s assessment for Karnataka to receive drought assistance.
“Our report has to match the Centre’s report. It should be accepted by the drought assessment team coming from Delhi. Only then will the Centre provide assistance,” he said.
He said the state had taken measures within its capacity to deal with the situation and issued instructions to ensure drinking water supply.
“Rs 1 crore has been provided to each rural Assembly constituency for drinking water. Additional funds have also been kept in the accounts of the Deputy Commissioners,” he said.
The situation in Gadag was particularly serious, Shivakumar said, describing it as the worst drought the district had faced in five decades. Rainfall this year was 40 per cent below normal, he said.
“The livelihood of farmers is at risk and people are worried. When I came by helicopter, I saw that sowing had not taken place in many places. Even where sowing has been done, farmers may not get even 10 to 15 per cent of the crop,” he said.
Shivakumar said he had visited farmers’ fields and inspected cotton, groundnut, jowar and sunflower crops to assess the damage.
“I spoke to farmers and they explained their problems. They also said how the VBG Ramji scheme could help prevent people from migrating in search of livelihood,” he said.
In Gadag district, only Gajendragad taluk had so far been declared drought-hit. Shivakumar said the district in-charge minister, along with all MLAs, had submitted a request seeking the declaration of all taluks in the district as drought-hit.
Former Minister HK Patil had raised the issue of cloud seeding, while other MLAs brought up various issues, including irrigation and other development projects. The government would take steps on these projects keeping the financial situation in mind, Shivakumar said.
He also said the guarantee schemes should reach eligible beneficiaries properly and should not be misused. The government was therefore reviewing the schemes and would form guarantee committees at the panchayat level, he said.