State seeks Rs 593 cr relief from Centre

Total damage caused by floods put at Rs 2,724.37 cr

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday sought Rs 593.11 crore from the Centre to cope with the extensive damage caused due to heavy rains and floods in many districts of the State during monsoon.

In a memorandum submitted to an inter-ministerial team sent by the Centre to inspect the affected places, the chief minister said that the total damage is estimated to be Rs 2,724.37 crore in the State. But, as per the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) norms, the State is entitled to get Rs 593.11 crore relief, he added.
 
The Central team, headed by Joint Secretary to Ministry of Home Affairs R K Srivastava, toured the affected places in the last two days. It returned to Delhi on Thursday. The team will submit a report to the Centre on the issue.

More than normal rains

As per the memorandum, the State received 888 mm rainfall between June and September (September 18), which is 17 per cent more than the normal. Tumkur, Chitradurga, Davangere, Chamarajnagar, Mandya, Raichur, Hassan and Chikkamagalur received 40 per cent more than the average rainfall.

The State, at the same time, is facing drought in many districts. The Centre is expected to soon send another team of officials to inspect the affected places to assess the situation.
New Delhi

Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar on Thursday promised a delegation from Karnataka that his ministry would study the loss of horticulture crops in the State due to heavy rain and drought, to give relief to farmers.

Receiving a memorandum from the delegation led by Horticulture Minister Shamanur Shivshankarappa, Pawar said that he knew about the loss of crops due to the natural vagaries and promised to extend the relief.

The memorandum states that the State had suffered largescale losses in arecanut, coconut and pomegranate crops. The Centre should take immediate steps to provide relief to farmers, Shivshankarappa said.