‘Rs 2,600 cr earmarked for drinking water’

Minister for Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Krishna Byre Gowda said that owing to drought, the state government has earmarked Rs 2,600 crore for drinking water projects.

Speaking to reporters during the visit of the Cabinet sub-committee studying drought in Kadur taluk on Friday, he said the state government had released Rs 1,500 crore to zilla panchayats to tackle the water crisis and Rs 134 crore for the task force chaired by MLAs.

He said without aid from the Central government, the state had announced Rs 178 crore special package for coconut growers. The amount would be directly transferred to the farmers' account.

The works under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) were in progress and the Centre had stopped releasing funds since December for MGNREGS, he stated.

"Karnataka had sought Rs 2,434 crore from the Centre as compensation for crop losses. The Centre sanctioned only Rs 900 crore. Maharashtra received a better amount as compared to Karnataka," he stated.

District in-charge Minister K J George, Women and Child Welfare Minister Jayamala and Council Deputy Chairman S L Dharme Gowda were present.