Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G Parameshwara in the Legislative Council. Photo supplied with the Karnataka Varthe release.
Bengaluru: Karnataka’s drought-hit taluk count will rise to 177 with the addition of 53 more taluks, Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G Parameshwara told the Legislative Council, adding that further assessments could take the number to around 200.
The government initially declared 101 taluks drought-hit and subsequently added another 23 following a review. A further 53 were now being included, he said, according to a Karnataka Varthe release.
More taluks could qualify after assessment
Parameshwara said the assessment would continue beyond the latest additions. Rainfall deficiency, crop damage and other prescribed indicators would determine whether more taluks qualified for inclusion.
Depending on conditions on the ground, the total could reach around 200, he said.
Severe rainfall shortages had affected agriculture and farmers’ livelihoods across much of Karnataka, he told the House. Farmers who sowed after the initial rains saw their crops wither when rainfall stopped. In several areas, crops sown for a second time after subsequent showers had also suffered damage.
Central criteria guide drought declarations
Parameshwara said the state was following drought-declaration guidelines framed by the Centre in 2020. Taluks had to meet the prescribed criteria to be declared drought-hit, he said.
Declaring all taluks drought-affected without following those criteria could create difficulties in obtaining central assistance, he cautioned.
The Centre should provide the drought relief Karnataka was entitled to under those rules, he said. The state government would also continue reviewing conditions and work to deliver relief to farmers.
Calling for a comprehensive discussion in the legislature, Parameshwara urged ruling and opposition parties to set aside political differences and present a united position to the Centre in Karnataka’s interests.
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Atul Chaturvedi 
