Rs. 24 cr. for drought relief measures

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI, AUG. 8. Karnataka was today given an assurance that Rs. 24 crores would be granted to it as the second instalment from the Calamity Relief Fund (CRF), and one lakh tonnes of foodgrains would be provided free of cost for carrying out relief work in the drought-affected areas of the State.

The Chief Minister, Mr. S.M. Krishna, who led an all- party delegation, including Union Ministers, MPs, and leaders of Opposition parties from the State for a meeting with the Prime Minister, Mr. A.B. Vajpayee, said the State had sought Rs. 903.45 crores for the relief works over and above the Rs. 79-crore grant from the CRF. The delegation demanded an immediate relief of Rs. 100 crores. The delegation also met the Union Finance Minister, Mr. Yashwant Sinha, and the Agriculture Minister, Mr. Ajit Singh.

Addressing a press conference later, Mr. Krishna said the State was experiencing a severe drought, with nearly 146 of the 175 taluks affected by it. He said the kharif crop had failed and there was not much hope for the rabi crop. He said farmers had begun migrating to neighbouring States in search of employment.

Asked if he was satisfied with the response from the Prime Minister, Mr. Krishna admitted that the Union Government too faced resource constraints and had to deal with the damage wrought by floods and droughts throughout the country.

The Prime Minister told the delegation that the Central team that studied the drought situation in the State would submit its report on August 13, which would then be studied by a panel comprising the ministers of Finance, Agriculture and Rural Development. Based on this, the Centre would finalise the quantum of assistance.

The State Government has sought Rs. 903.45 crores for various relief works, including employment generation, special nutrition programme, urban and rural drinking water supply, agriculture, animal husbandry, public health and horticulture.

The memorandum submitted by Karnataka said that the drought was of rare severity and the worst in the past 15 years, and similar to the severe drought of 1972. Of the 175 taluks, 146 had received scanty or severely deficient rainfall. Added to it, over 118 taluks had had continuous dry spells of four to eight weeks causing extraordinary hardship to people and cattle.

The delegation also urged the Centre to procure coconut, and brought to its notice the plight of coconut growers with over one crore palms of the over eight crore palms in the State afflicted by mites.

Problems being faced by workers at the Kolar Gold Fields also figured, with Mr. K.H. Muniyappa and other MPs, cutting across party lines, submitting a memorandum to the Prime Minister seeking his intervention in reviving the unit on the lines proposed by the employees.

The Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly, Mr. Jagadish Shettar, and the Deputy Leader of the Opposition, Mr. Basavaraj Bommai, and others urged the Centre to set up an Indian Institute of Technology in Dharwad.

The delegation included the Union ministers, Mr. M. Venkaiah Naidu, Mr. V. Dhananjaya Kumar, Mr. V. Sreenivasa Prasad and Mr. Anant Kumar, the former ministers, Ms. Margaret Alva, and Mr. R.L. Jalappa, and the former Chief Minister, Mr. S. Bangarappa.

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Section  : Southern States
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