Dharwad
Labour Minister Santosh Lad has instructed officials from the agriculture department to draft a proposal for redistributing seeds for rabi sowing, following significant crop losses due to heavy rains. During a meeting to review progress under the Karnataka Development Programme (KDP), he highlighted that farmers had lost their kharif crops just before harvesting, and subsequent rains have washed away seeds meant for the rabi season.
With the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicting more heavy rain over the next few days, Lad urged officials from various departments to remain vigilant and ready to assist communities potentially affected by flooding. He reported that crops across 25,000 hectares in the district have already been damaged in the first half of October, and further assessments are needed for losses incurred later in the month.
Additionally, the minister addressed complaints regarding malfunctioning water purifying units in rural areas, proposing the establishment of a dashboard to monitor all 476 reverse osmosis (RO) units in the district. He also directed the RDPR engineering division to prioritize urgent repairs to roads severely impacted by recent rains.
Following the meeting, Lad visited flood-affected villages in Aminabhavi hobli. The meeting was attended by local MLAs, Deputy Commissioner Divya Prabhu, and senior officials from the Zilla Panchayat and agriculture department.
