BENGALURU: Chief Minister DK Shivakumar here on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to expedite the release of Rs 22,400.58 crore in drought relief sought by Karnataka, citing extensive crop losses across the state, and raised the demands of sugarcane farmers for better prices and a fair share of ethanol allocation.
Addressing a gathering in the presence of Modi at the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), Shivakumar said Karnataka had received the second-lowest rainfall in 70 years, with 226 of the state's 240 taluks declared drought-affected. Nearly 58 lakh hectares of crops had suffered damage, with estimated losses of Rs 62,482 crore.
Shivakumar also presented a memorandum to Modi.
The state had sought for Rs 22,400.58 crore under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), and he appealed to the Prime Minister to ensure early approval and release of the assistance to support affected farmers.
Drawing attention to the concerns of sugarcane growers, Shivakumar said farmers were demanding Rs 5,500 per tonne against the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP) of Rs 3,650 per tonne for the 2026-27 season.
He also sought a revision of the minimum support price of sugar, which, he said, had remained unchanged at Rs 31 per kg since 2019, and urged the Centre to ensure Karnataka received a fair share of ethanol allocation.
Highlighting Karnataka's contribution to the country's industrial, technological and scientific development, the Chief Minister said the state had a long record of pioneering achievements.
Shivanasamudra generated Asia's first electricity in 1902 to power the Kolar Gold Fields, Bengaluru was India's first electrified city and Karnataka was home to the country's first aircraft manufacturing facility established by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL), he said.
He also recalled that Karnataka was the first state to introduce an industrial policy and a dedicated startup policy. Bengaluru hosted the first global research and development centre of Texas Instruments in India and the country's first iPhone assembly plant, he added.
Describing Bengaluru as a major technology hub, Shivakumar said the city had the world's second-largest pool of artificial intelligence and machine learning talent and Asia's second-largest AI-native cluster after Beijing. Karnataka also had India's largest chip-design ecosystem.
More than 1.5 lakh engineers graduate annually from the state, while women's participation in its industrial workforce stood at 37 per cent against the national average of 18 per cent, he said.
Karnataka led the country in overall exports and positive talent balance and ranked second in GST collections and cumulative foreign direct investment inflows over the last five years, he added.
Calling for greater cooperation between the Centre and states, Shivakumar said Karnataka was ready to fulfil its responsibilities and work closely with the Union Government. He invoked Basavanna's philosophy of Kayakave Kailasa and the Bhagavad Gita's message of performing one's duty sincerely.
Quoting Kuvempu's vision of Vishwamanava, he said governments should rise above narrow boundaries and work for the welfare of all.
“The people's mandate gives political parties the responsibility to govern, but their ultimate goal should always be to serve people and improve the quality of life of every citizen,” he said.
