Though some parts of Karnataka received a spell of rain in the past few days, the state is facing one of the worst droughts in many years. Yet, the affected people, especially farmers, have not received any substantial relief, with the state and the centre sparring with each other. It finally took a nudge from the Supreme Court for the centre to release a paltry sum, a small fraction of what the state had sought. The government has declared 223 of the 236 taluks as drought hit. A survey indicates that agricultural and horticultural crops suffered losses ranging from 50% to 100%. Karnataka is the second driest state in the country after Rajasthan. Of the 10 agro-climatic zones in the state, five fall in the dry zone category. In fact, the entire rain-fed agriculture area is drought prone, making Karnataka one of most vulnerable states to drought in the country. During the monsoon last year, the rainfall deficit was 56% in June and 76% in August, the highest in 122 years, accounting to the meteorological department. According to Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, the state has not experienced such a drought in three to four decades.