BANGALORE: The state government has revised its estimation of crop loss due to the prevailing drought to Rs 4,550 crore even as it has decided to lead an all-party delegation to the Centre seeking immediate assistance to tackle the situation.
A decision in this regard was taken at the all-party meeting chaired by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda here on Thursday. The delegation is expected to go to Delhi in the last week of April.
Among others, the prominent demand of the delegation would be to pressure the Centre to compensate at least half of the losses suffered by the state from the national calamity and contingency fund (NCCF) over and above the general assistance. The state had earlier requested `2,605 crore in its first memorandum submitted four months ago.
But the Centre has not responded to the demand so far. “The Centre has sanctioned Rs 186.6 crore for the state, of which just Rs 70 crore has been released as of March 29,2012,” Gowda informed the meeting.