Bengaluru
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed District in-charge Ministers to visit every taluk in their respective districts in the next two weeks and submit a report on drought management. In a letter, Siddaramaiah said that out of the 236 taluks in the state, 216 taluks have been declared drought-hit so far. In the wake of drought, drought management programmes such as drinking water, fodder, water for agro-industries, crop damage, employment status of people, distribution of drought relief etc. were discussed in the cabinet meetings. Directions have also been issued to Deputy Commissioners and Chief Executive Officers of Zilla Panchayats several times, he said.
In this context, the district in-charge Ministers have been instructed to visit every taluk in their respective districts in the next two weeks to review the status of drinking water, fodder, employment, crop damage, etc., to take stock of the situation and collect necessary information and to consult the local MLAs on relief measures like gaushala, fodder bank, drinking water, job creation, etc.
Strict instructions should be given to the concerned authorities so that there are no failures in the implementation of drought management programmes. He has been asked to brief the media in each taluk about the complete status of the drought situation and the drought management programmes undertaken in the districts and submit a report by November 15.
The state government has released Rs 324 crore for drought relief. Based on the crop loss in 324 districts, Rs 31 crore has been allocated under SDRF for drought relief for the year 2023-24. The State Government has issued an order releasing the funds. Several farmers’ organisations had demanded the announcement of drought relief.
