Govt declares 23 more taluks drought-hit, tally rises to 124

Karnataka on Thursday expanded its drought declaration to 23 more taluks after a field assessment found them eligible for relief, adding to the 101 taluks already declared drought affected for the Kharif season.

The Revenue Department issued the order following ground verification and a comprehensive assessment by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre. The new declaration covers 21 severely drought affected taluks and two moderately affected taluks and will remain in force for six months.

The 21 taluks in the severe category are Tiptur in Tumakuru; Karatagi in Koppal; Manvi, Sindhanur and Sirwar in Raichur; Afzalpur, Aland, Chittapur, Kalaburagi, Yadrami and Shahabad in Kalaburagi; Bhalki in Bidar; Basavana Bagewadi, Babaleshwar and Tikota in Vijayapura; Rattihalli in Haveri; Hubballi, Navalgund, Hubballi City and Annigeri in Dharwad; and Kadur in Chikkamagaluru.

Ponnampet and Virajpet in Kodagu have been placed in the moderate category.

The latest additions followed an assessment of the 139 taluks that were not covered by the government’s first drought notification on August 27. The exercise was undertaken after dry conditions persisted across parts of Karnataka.

Officials conducted ground verification in 214 villages across 24 taluks using a mobile application. The exercise was carried out on the directions of the Cabinet subcommittee on natural disasters headed by Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara.

The new declaration allows district administrations to begin relief and response measures under State Disaster Response Fund guidelines. Deputy commissioners, as heads of district disaster management authorities, have been authorised to take the necessary measures.

The agriculture commissioner, director of horticulture and the concerned deputy commissioners have also been directed to conduct joint crop loss surveys and submit relief assessments to the government.

The drought map could expand further. The KSNDMC will review conditions every week, with the government saying forecasts point to below normal rainfall in September. More taluks will be notified in phases if they meet the eligibility criteria.

The question of relief will now move into the legislature, with Chief Minister DK Shivakumar saying the three day special Assembly session beginning September 21 will discuss the drought and demands for assistance to farmers.

Shivakumar said the government would consider the demand for farm loan waivers during the session and indicated that any decision would require discussions with the Opposition and banks. “Some people have said that loans should be waived. I have to take all of the BJP leaders along and go to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he told reporters on Thursday.

“We have to discuss it. The bankers also have to speak,” he said, adding that the latest drought assessment reports had arrived only recently.

Shivakumar said bankers had agreed to give farmers one year’s time to repay their loans.

The special session has been convened to discuss the Kasturirangan report and farmers’ issues, with two days earmarked for drought related discussions. Asked about farmers in taluks that have not been included in the drought declaration, Shivakumar said the matter would be taken up in the Assembly. “Once the Assembly has been convened, these things cannot simply be announced elsewhere. They have to be announced in the Assembly,” he said.

He also argued that farmers facing financial difficulties should receive the kind of debt relief available to companies through restructuring and one time settlements. “When large companies face difficulties, loans are adjusted, waived or settled through one time settlements. In the same way, our farmers should also be helped to survive,” he said.

Shivakumar urged Opposition leaders and legislators to participate in the debate and propose measures for farmers. He said the session should not lose time as the previous Monsoon session did.

The Monsoon session, held from August 14 to 27, was curtailed by three days after protests in the Assembly and Legislative Council over the induction of B Nagendra into the Cabinet. Nagendra is an accused in the Karnataka State Maharshi Valmiki Tribal Development Corporation scam.