Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, his deputy D K Shivakumar along with several ministers and legislators on Sunday staged a protest in Bengaluru against 'paltry' drought relief by the Centre.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday informed that the Union government has released Rs 3,454 crore as drought relief for the state against state's demand of Rs 18,172 crore.
CM Siddaramaiah also mentioned that Rs 3,499 crore was approved as drought relief but only Rs 3,454 was released.
Karnataka Congress Holds Protest In Bengaluru
Accusing the Centre of 'cheating' Karnataka by not providing sufficient relief to combat severe drought, the leaders staged a symbolic protest in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue at the 'Vidhana Soudha', home to the Legislature and Secretariat.
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The leaders held a 'Chombu', a water pot symbolizing 'emptiness and deception', to highlight the critical condition of the drought.
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Saturday announced the demonstration on April 28 against Centre for sanctioning less than a quarter of the state's demand for drought relief.
"In this regard, we have decided to stage a protest near the Gandhi statue at Vidhana Soudha. We will also continue our legal battle for more drought relief. We are not seeking alms, this is our right," he noted.
Shivakumar said Karnataka had only sought 50 per cent of the estimated loss of Rs 35,000 crore, but the Centre has agreed to release only a fraction of that.
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CM Siddaramaiah On Karnataka Drought Relief
The chief minister while announcing the release of drought relief, thanked the Supreme Court for warning the Central government and providing some drought relief to the state.
He also recalled the protests held in Delhi in February to get the rights of the people of Karnataka.
"According to the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) rules, the state was supposed to be paid Rs 18,171 crore, but the Central government has only approved Rs 3,498.98 crore. This money is not sufficient for the drought relief. Our fight for the arrears will continue," he told the media.
The chief minister explained that the central government initially withheld the drought relief fund for Karnataka, but eventually released the funds after the state government appealed to the Supreme Court and highlighted the severity of the drought situation.
"The Supreme Court, which heard this petition, was convinced that the Centre was doing injustice to Karnataka due to political reasons," Siddaramaiah alleged.
During the hearing, the Centre promised to the Supreme Court that the drought relief would be given within a week.
"This relief money has been given out of unwillingness to fulfill the promise made to the apex court," he added.
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CM Siddaramaiah Attacks BJP
Siddaramaiah asserted that neither the BJP leaders nor the Central government played a part in this as he attributed this to the Supreme Court's focus on the agricultural sector and the farmers of the state.
"The reason for announcing the grant was the fear that if some relief is not given, the people of Karnataka who are drought-hit will not allow them (BJP leaders) to enter the state for the election campaign. If the BJP leaders of the state are going to portray this small relief as their achievement, I request the people of the state to give them a befitting reply," the chief minister said.
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"Whatever be the reasons behind this drought relief, I would like to thank the Central government for the relief provided. I urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to release the balance relief funds as soon as possible," he added.
He also requested the Centre to rectify the injustice in tax devolution.
Siddaramaiah mentioned that the state government announced 223 taluks as drought-affected on September 13, 2023.
He said reports indicate crop damage on 48 lakh hectares, leading to a loss of Rs 35,162 crore.
Karnataka requested Rs 18,171 crore in compensation from the Central government, which is approximately half of the amount sought.
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The Centre gave Rs 3,454 crore, which is very low, Siddaramaiah said, adding, the next course of action will be decided after discussing this with the officers.
He alleged that Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had lied that the state submitted the memorandum late.
Siddaramaiah said he met PM Modi on December 19, 2023 and brought to his notice the dire drought situation in the state and the plight of the farmers, and submitted the memorandum to release Rs 18,171 crore at the earliest.
For the first time in the history of India, the Supreme Court had to intervene and as a result, very little relief was provided after the directive, he said.
