BENGALURU: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said the state government would allocate Rs one crore each to Assembly constituencies to tackle the emerging drought situation.
The DCM said the government has released Rs 5 crore each to districts to ensure drinking water supply. In addition, Rs 329 crore is available in Personal Deposit (PD) accounts for drought-related works. The CM will review the drought situation in the Bengaluru division on July 25, followed by a similar meeting in the Mysuru division, said the DCM.
“After these meetings, we will have a complete picture of the situation across the State. We will then hold discussions and decide on the measures required to ensure that farmers and the general public do not face any hardship,” he said.
The DCM said to prevent people from migrating in search of employment, all Zilla Panchayat CEOs have been instructed to provide work immediately under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G) Scheme. “There is no shortage of funds. Officials have been directed to begin the works without delay,” he said.
He said that the state government had written to the Centre regarding drought aid grants, but had not received any response so far. “They generally expect the formal memorandum in August. Once we submit it, they will release the funds,” he said.
The DCM said that farmers had sown seeds following light rainfall during the monsoon. “However, there was no rain afterwards and the crops that had been sown have now dried up. There is still hope that farmers may sow again if it rains in August,” he said.
Meanwhile, the DCM said they have urged the Finance Department to release the pending Rs 97.57 crore under the Anugraha Scheme, which provides compensation to farmers for the accidental death of livestock. “The scheme, launched during Siddaramaiah’s 2013-18 tenure was later discontinued due to a fund crunch. But it was revived in 2023, since then Rs 134 crore released. Under the scheme, compensation has been paid for the deaths of 2.17
lakh sheep and goats and 82,260 cattle and other large livestock between 2023-24 and 2026-27,” he stated.