Bengaluru
Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G Parameshwara on Wednesday urged the Centre to relax the norms for declaring drought and provide Karnataka with adequate financial assistance to tackle the prevailing drought situation.
He said the state government had already written to the Centre seeking relaxation of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms. The government had apprised the Centre of the ground realities and sought greater assistance for farmers facing distress, he said.
Parameshwara said Karnataka had faced a severe drought in 2023, when then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written several letters to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking drought relief and relaxation of existing norms. The state had pointed out that the Centre’s criteria did not fully reflect the actual drought situation, he said.
He said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar and other state government representatives had also written to the Centre on the issue. As Revenue Minister, he had made a representation, while the Chief Secretary had separately written to the Centre, he added.
The state’s demand was that drought should not be assessed merely on the basis of rainfall deficiency. The amount and timing of rainfall, its impact on crops and soil moisture should also be considered while assessing the situation, Parameshwara said.
He urged the Centre to reconsider its criteria in view of the drought situation in Karnataka in 2026 and extend necessary financial assistance.
The government was taking measures to address the difficulties faced by farmers and the public, he said, adding that the Centre should take Karnataka’s ground realities into account while providing relief.
