Bengaluru, Sept 8 (IANS) As many as 25 more taluks in Karnataka are likely to be declared drought-hit soon, with the State government currently undertaking the second phase of drought assessment, Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara said on Tuesday.
Speaking to reporters near his residence in Bengaluru, Parameshwara said the drought assessment process in the state had not yet been completed and was being carried out in phases.
“In the first phase, 101 taluks have already been declared drought-hit. The assessment for the second phase is currently underway. Twenty-five taluks have qualified for declaration as drought-hit areas and they will be notified soon,” he said.
Parameshwara said there had been no delay in the process and that the assessment would continue until the situation regarding the southwest and northeast monsoons became clear.
“Last year, around 200 taluks were declared drought-hit. This year too, there is a situation where more than 200 taluks could be declared drought-hit. Except for the coastal region, drought-like conditions prevail across the State,” he said.
Responding to protests by some MLAs alleging that their constituencies had deliberately been left out of the drought-hit list, Parameshwara said there was no need for anyone to worry that their taluks would be excluded despite facing severe drought.
“The entire State is facing drought today. No one from the State government has any role in deciding which taluks should be declared drought-hit. The allegation that some taluks were deliberately left out is baseless,” he said.
He pointed out that drought was not determined on the basis of political affiliation and noted that taluks represented by Opposition legislators were also included in the list already notified.
Parameshwara said the state government could not independently declare drought-hit areas without following the norms prescribed by the Union government if it wanted to seek central assistance.
“If the state government declares drought-hit areas on its own, it will not be possible to obtain assistance from the Centre. It is better for us to be patient while seeking central drought relief,” he said.
He explained that drought-hit areas were identified based on prescribed Central government norms after examining satellite-based images, conducting ground-truthing exercises and carrying out scientific assessments.
“I had clearly explained this even during the Assembly session,” he said.
On the issue of NICE land and former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda’s letter, Parameshwara rejected allegations that several Ministers in the Cabinet were benefiting from the land acquired from people affected by the project.
He said the State government had taken the decision to allot 1,453 sites on humanitarian grounds and in accordance with the Supreme Court’s directions.
“Farmers who lost land worth hundreds of crores for a few lakh rupees should not be subjected to further injustice. Therefore, the decision was taken to allot 1,453 sites,” he said.
Parameshwara clarified that the government had no intention of providing personal benefits to anyone through the decision.
On the upcoming Apex Bank election, Parameshwara said Minister K.N. Rajanna was aspiring to become the president of the Apex Bank.
“Since we belong to the same district, we have met and discussed the issue. We will call all the directors for a discussion under the leadership of the Chief Minister and arrive at a decision,” he said.
Parameshwara also said the state government would raise the issue of Tamil Nadu allegedly using Cauvery water for agriculture over an area of 4.8 hectares at the Cauvery Water Management Authority meeting scheduled to be held on Tuesday.
He said Karnataka would place the matter before the authority as part of its efforts to protect the State’s interests in the Cauvery water dispute.
–IANS
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