Karnataka govt. to assist farmers in case of delay in Centre’s drought relief, says Minister

State govt. to support farmers if Centre delays drought relief funds; 224 taluks declared drought-affected; ₹18,000 crore sought from Centre; Minister for Agriculture N. Cheluvarayaswamy said State govt. will remain with farmers; ₹11 crore road development works launched in Mandya.

Minister for Agriculture N. Cheluvarayaswamy on Tuesday, November 21, said the State government will come to the rescue of farmers in case the Centre delays to release drought relief funds to Karnataka. The State government will support distressed farmers, he added.

Speaking after inspecting crops affected due to drought in Maddur taluk of Mandya district, Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy, who is the Minister in charge of Mandya district, said 224 taluks had been declared drought-affected in the State. The Central team recently inspected the drought-affected districts in the State and submitted its report to the Union Government.

The Minister said a sum of ₹18,000 crore had been sought from the Centre for taking up drought relief works. The relief will be distributed in phases once the Centre releases the funds sought for the same, he added.

Mr. Cheluvarayaswamy said the drought review he conducted in Mandya district will be compiled and a report will be submitted to the Chief Minister. “If there is any further delay in getting the Centre’s drought relief, the State government will look into the issue and come to the support of farmers. In these difficult times, the government will remain with farmers and work for their welfare,” he assured.

Minister for Agriculture N. Cheluvarayaswamy said development works have received equal importance and priority along with the guarantee schemes. The government has ensured that the development works remain unaffected amidst the implementation of guarantees, he added.

Launching the Mandya-Keragodu Road development works in Mandya on Tuesday, the Minister said the road is a key link for commuters to Nagamangala, Kowdlu, and Tumakuru. The work is estimated to cost ₹11 crores and soon development works estimating ₹150 crores will be launched in the district, he maintained.

Ravikumar P. Gowda, Mandya MLA, said the Keregodu road work had not been taken up for the last ten years and it’s a matter of joy that the road will get a new lease of life soon with the launch of work. Because of the bad shape of the road, accidents had been reported and the Congress government therefore decided to repair the road on priority in the interest of commuters, he said, adding that the works will be done in the next two months.