Announce Rs 3k crore for flood-hit Karnataka districts, Ashoka urges govt

Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Assembly R Ashoka on Monday demanded that the government immediately announce Rs 3,000 crore in relief for flood-hit districts of North Karnataka.

Lambasting the government’s inaction in the face of loss of lives and large-scale devastation, particularly in Kalaburagi and Bidar, Ashoka said, “No minister has taken concrete steps to address the situation till now”.

Victims in flood-hit areas were paid twice what they are being paid now when BJP was in power, said Ashoka. “We ensured that all affected families had enough food supplies for 30 days,” he said.

The government is citing lack of funds and shirking its responsibilities, he charged.

The government was entirely focussed on caste census, he said, demanding that it specify the amount that would be paid to those who lost their homes and crops to incessant rain. Conceding that the Centre had to contribute a portion of the funds, Ashoka said, “The state government must step up immediately and release at least Rs 3,000 crore to help those in distress”. 

Visits by CM and ministers to flood-hit districts were politically motivated, he claimed.