Bengaluru, 3 October

Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, saying that “drought relief is a humanitarian imperative and must rise above political differences between the Centre and the State”. He urged them to keep “in mind the scale of distress confronting over 31 lakh farming families across the State”.

Kharge said that Karnataka simply doesn’t have the funds to deal with a crisis of this scale.

In his 11-page letter, the LoP in the Rajya Sabha made six requests seeking immediate assessment and compensation for the State's small and marginal farmers.

Kharge asked the PM to calculate input subsidy based on Karnataka's updated Bhoomi land records rather than the outdated 2015-16 Agriculture Census, so that no genuinely eligible farmer is excluded.

“Complete drought declarations urgently: Treat the 11 additional taluks presently undergoing ground truthing, along with any further qualifying taluks, as part of a single continuing drought event for Central assistance,” Kharge wrote.

UNPRECEDENTED DROUGHT

Kharge noted that the State was facing its lowest Southwest Monsoon rain in 50 years, recording a 31 per cent deficit. Karnataka had received only 477mm of rainfall between 1 June and 31st August, Kharge said, saying the severity of the drought was exceeded in severity only in 2002.

“Prolonged dry spells and above-normal temperatures have further aggravated the soil-moisture stress throughout the State,” Kharge wrote, adding that it was an “unprecedented rain deficit”.

UNDERSTAND THE STATE

Kharge noted that 79 per cent of Karnataka was drought-prone and 77 per cent is classified as arid or semi-arid. The Southwest monsoon accounts for nearly 74 per cent of the State’s annual rainfall and any disruption therefore significantly affects soil moisture and crops. He urged the Centre to understand the geographical conditions of Karnataka when conducting its assessment.  

He also urged the Centre to provide enhanced support for drinking water security and the cost of substitute power, particularly in view of historically low reservoir levels in the Cauvery and hydel catchments.