Drought: Karnataka state cabinet to meet on Thursday

The state Cabinet headed by Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy is scheduled to meet on May 9 at Vidhana Soudha to discuss drought situation in the state.

It is the first meeting of the Cabinet after the Lok Sabha elections in the state. However, the government cannot take any policy decision in the Cabinet as the model code of conduct is still in effect.

But the Election Commission of India (ECI) has granted permission to the government for inviting and finalising tenders pertaining to infrastructure projects and procurement of goods and services. The government has also allowed the government to take up recruitment process.

Sources in the government said Kumaraswamy will take stock of the drought situation and will informally issue directions to the officials on steps to be taken to provide relief to the affected people. All 176 taluks of the state have been declared as drought hit.

Loan waiver

The government has so far released Rs 7,417 crore towards implementation of crop loan waiver scheme in the state. As many as 15.50 lakh farmers have been benefited from the scheme till now.

Besides, the government has prepared a list of 1.50 lakh farmers who are eligible to avail of the scheme. The funds pertaining to the waiver of loans of these farmers will be released after May 23, after the conclusion of Lok Sabha elections, a release from the Chief Minister’s office stated.