Central teams to assess drought in North K'taka

Three central teams will arrive on a three-day visit to the State on February 23 to assess the drought scene in North Karnataka.

The team comprising top officials of various ministries of the Centre will visit Bidar on February 23, Belagavi the next day and Dharwad on February 25. A warp-up session will be held with officials of the State Revenue and Agriculture departments in Bengaluru on February 26, sources said.

Rabi crop damaged

The State had sought a central assistance of Rs 1,417 crore after witnessing a disastrous winter harvest season. It is estimated that rabi crop worth Rs 7,209 crore was damaged.

The State government submitted a memorandum to the Centre in January stating that rabi crop has been affected in 24.64 lakh hectares (more than 70 per cent of the sown area).