BENGALURU: Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister Dr G Parameshwara, who also holds the revenue portfolio, said that the state has suffered an estimated Rs 46,000 crore loss across 177 taluks owing to prevailing drought conditions.
“We have sought Rs 10,000 crore to Rs 11,000 crore in compensation from the Centre and will submit a final memorandum along with Chief Minister DK Shivakumar, soon’’ he said.
Reacting to the hike in Revenue Department service fees, Dr Parameshwara said the increase was marginal and justified by the rising cost of living and prices. He also said the State Government needs to strengthen its own revenue sources, particularly when there is a shortfall in funds due from the Centre. Hence, fees for certain government services have been increased marginally, he told reporters on Monday.
Dr Parameshwara said the three Central team assessing drought in Karnataka will complete its assessment by Tuesday. “They are visiting three to four districts daily. They have assessed 101 taluks which were declared as drought hit initially. We have requested them to assess the 77 taluks which we declared drought hit in our second list. The team members are interacting with farmers directly.
They are witnessing the same which we found in our survey. The DCs and CEOs are also interacting with the team,’’ the DCM said, adding that the Central team will submit its report to the Union Government and based on the report, Karnataka will seek compensation.
He also said they are considering to take delegation to Delhi and submit the final memorandum to the Centre and seek compensation.
On GST collections
Dr Parameshwara expressed concern over the GST collections. He said the severe drought in Karnataka is likely to impact GST collections as crop losses affect various sectors of the economy. He said Karnataka has consistently ranked second in the country in GST collections and is following Centre’s norms to ensure there are no shortfalls. “The government has kept a buffer to deal with the impact and is exploring measures to boost GST revenue,’’ he added.
On Form 7
Dr Parameshwara said the State Government has submitted an evidence-based complaint to the Election Commission regarding the alleged misuse of Form 7 applications. Questioning the large number of applications being filed by individuals, he asked whether there was any limit on the number of Form 7 applications one person could submit.
Central teams in 3 districts
Members of the Central Drought Study Committee visited Mysuru, Bagalkot and Vijayanagara districts on Monday.
