Karnataka faces 58% rainfall deficit; Kharge seeks urgent Centre aid

BENGALURU: AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally intervene in Karnataka’s severe drought situation and release Rs 3,705.30 crore in relief sought by the state under the NDRF and SDRF.

In a letter to Modi, which he shared on X, Kharge said Karnataka was facing one of its most severe drought situations in recent years, with the state recording a 58% rainfall deficit by the end of September. The situation has resulted in widespread crop losses and pushed lakhs of farming families into distress, he said.

According to Kharge, the estimated loss caused by the drought stands at Rs 18,748.23 crore, against which the state government has sought Rs 3,705.30 crore in assistance from the Centre.

Kharge also urged the Centre to immediately send a central team to assess drought-related damage in the Kalyana Karnataka region and sanction the entire amount sought by the state without any unwarranted deductions.

He called for the use of Karnataka’s updated Bhoomi land records, instead of the outdated 2015-16 agricultural census, to calculate input subsidies for small and marginal farmers. This, he said, would help ensure that eligible farmers are not excluded from relief.

Kharge further urged the Centre to expedite the drought declaration process in 11 additional taluks where ground-truthing is currently underway, along with other eligible areas. These areas should be treated as part of the same continuing drought event for the purpose of receiving central assistance, he said.

Highlighting the historically low water levels in reservoirs in the Cauvery and hydropower project catchments, Kharge sought additional central support for drinking water security and the cost of alternative power generation.

He said more than 31 lakh farmer families across Karnataka were facing distress and urged the Centre to release assistance urgently on the basis of eligibility and without political considerations.

“Drought relief is a humanitarian necessity and must rise above political differences between the Centre and the state,” Kharge said, urging the Prime Minister to ensure immediate support for food, fodder, drinking water and livelihoods.

Kharge also said he had written to Union home minister Amit Shah seeking similar intervention.