Karnataka will have to wait for one more day to know the quantum of drought relief it would get from the Centre. The meeting of the high-level committee, chaired by Home Minister Rajnath Singh, with Finance Minister Arun Jaitley and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh as members has been postponed to Thursday.
Karnataka has sought Rs 4,702 crore as drought relief from the Centre for handing out payouts to farmers of 139 taluks that have been affected due to deficient rainfall. In addition, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has sought Rs 362 crore as relief for three districts that were affected by heavy rain.
A Central team visited Karnataka to assess the drought situation in November and submitted its report. After perusing the report, the officials have recommended that an amount of Rs 1,782.44 crore, a little more than one-third of the funds sought by the state, be released.