Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara with drought-affected farmers at Gunnala in Koppal district on Thursday
He said recent inspections in Vijayapura and Ballari districts showed 98% of crops in Vijayanagara district destroyed. “Farmers are even unlikely to achieve a viable harvest from the remaining 2%.
Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara Thursday said the govt was prepared to borrow, if necessary, to protect farmers as drought had worsened across several parts of the state. Parameshwara said the situation was particularly severe in parts of North Karnataka. The state is facing an extremely difficult situation,” he said. He said drought in Ballari, Vijayanagara, Koppal, Raichur and Vijayapura was more severe than in the Mysuru region.
Because of a likely procedural delay in receiving NDRF, lK Atheeq, financial adviser to the CM, said the govt had opted to release interim assistance from SDRF. “While we expect the situation to be tough, the bigger challenge will be to wait for NDRF to be released. The state will recoup expenditure incurred on drought relief from central assistance once it is released, revenue department officials said.
This is expected to give some respite to the farmers,” an official said. “Once funds are released, we will recover the state’s expenditure and release the rest to farmers,” they said. The only wait will be for NDRF,” he said.
“The govt has provided relief to farmers from SDRF and ensured enough financial assistance for potable drinking water.