Karnataka drought: State seeks Rs 22,000 crore relief from Centre, says Deputy CM

Karnataka has suffered a loss of around 62000 crore due to drought and has sought about 22000 crore in relief from the Centre as per National Disaster Response Fund NDRF norms Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G Parameshwara said on FridaySpeaking at his residence in Sadashivanagar Bengaluru Parameshwara said the state has already submitted three memorandums to the Union government on crop lossBased on NDRF guidelines the state has calculated its eligible requirement and sought around 22000 crore We have written to the Prime Minister Union Home Minister and Union Agriculture Minister seeking appointments to personally explain the drought situation he saidHe said that if appointments are granted an allparty delegation led by the Chief Minister will go to Delhi If not the delegation will meet the Prime Minister during his visit to KarnatakaOn relief for farmers Parameshwara said that CM has increased the amount by another Rs 2500 within a week to 15 days after the criticismThe state has released 1250 crore to give 2500 per farmer as the first instalment through direct benefit transfer DBT The amount has reached more than three lakh farmers in Yadgir district After criticism that 2500 was inadequate and following an increase in central guidelines the Chief Minister has agreed to release another Rs 2500 within a week to 15 days This will need another 1250 crore taking the total to 5000 per eligible farmer he said The government has also prioritised drinking water giving 1 crore to each Assembly constituency and 4 crore to 5 crore to each district he saidAsked about hikes in milk and transport fares he said decisions are taken after assessing the states revenue position and the interests of all sections including 50 lakh farmers who lost crops on 67 lakh acres and lakhs of government employeesResponding to the BJPs protest against the hikes he alleged that hikes were increased 14 times since the BJP came to the CentreThose criticising the State for increasing transport fares should also question the rise in petrol and diesel prices Prices have been hiked around 14 times since BJP came to power at the Centre This directly impacts transport and agriculture as farmers depend on diesel for tractors he allegedOn the Special Intensive Revision SIR of electoral rolls he said that the partys stand is clear and the government cannot take a stand contrary to itAround 108 crore voter names have been removed Of these around 16 lakh are shown as deceased though complaints say some are alive Another 65 lakh are shown as shifted If a person has shifted from Bengaluru to Mysuru his name should appear in Mysuru But it is not found there either That is why Congress believes SIR has not been done properly he saidOn the suspension of social security pensions Parameshwara said the issue will be resolved within 15 days He said the income eligibility limit has been raised from 30000 to 120 lakh so eligible beneficiaries will not face problemsOldage pension is for those above 60 but applications have come from people aged 40 30 and even 20 Around 23 lakh such applications are being scrutinised and ineligible ones are being disposed of Due to this verification distribution was suspended for a few days It has now resumed he saidThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever