Bengaluru, 28 September

Three teams from the union government will visit Karnataka to assess the drought situation based on the state government's request, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said on Monday.

A team will assess the situation in the Tumakuru, Chitradurga and Davanagere region, another will visit districts in north Karnataka, and a third team will cover the Mysuru region, including Mandya, Mysuru and Chamarajanagar, he said, speaking to reporters here.

"The Central teams will visit drought-affected areas and submit their reports. The state government has already submitted a memorandum to the Centre, based on which the teams will carry out their assessment. The state will also submit another memorandum," Parameshwara, who is also the Revenue Minister, said.

According to him, the teams are likely to collect information on all taluks declared drought-affected in the state. They will personally visit some taluks and hold discussions with deputy commissioners and local officials.

They will also study if there is any difference between the findings in the state government's report and the ground realities observed during their field visits.

Responding to a question on whether ground truthing (verification process during field visit) would be carried out according to the Central guidelines, the deputy chief minister said the Central teams have their own guidelines, and the state government followed the same while declaring taluks as drought-affected.

"Taluks have been declared drought-affected strictly on the basis of the prescribed criteria. Taluks that did not fall within the guidelines were not declared drought-affected. Therefore, there is unlikely to be any major difference between the state government's report and the findings of the Central teams," he said.

The minister further said that the final memorandum will be submitted to the union government following completion of further ground truthing which is currently underway.

"The monsoon period ends on September 30, and the state intends to submit the final memorandum in the first week of October. A comprehensive report detailing the state's losses and the relief required will be placed before the Centre," he said.

He reiterated the need for an all-party delegation on drought relief and said drought is not an issue confined to any political party.

"Natural disasters do not distinguish between parties. The chief minister has proposed taking an all-party delegation so that everyone can jointly represent Karnataka before the union government and seek greater assistance," he said.

Responding to reports that BJP leaders may not join the delegation, he said their party is in power at the Centre and if they accompany the delegation, it would help strengthen the state's case.

However, even if they choose not to participate, the state government will fulfil its responsibility of presenting Karnataka's concerns before the Centre, he said.

Parameshwara said drought is not a party issue; it concerns the interests of the people of Karnataka and therefore everyone must share the responsibility.

He said the BJP would be requested once again to join the delegation when the state submits its appeal to the Centre.

The deputy chief minister said the state government would not step away from its responsibility even if the union government failed to respond after another request for relief.

A situation should not arise where the state is once again forced to approach the courts, as it did last year, if the union government clearly refuses to provide relief. He appealed to the Centre and the authorities to not allow such a situation to arise.

Responding to differing views expressed by ministers and MLAs of the party on the guarantee schemes, Parameshwara said the government was aware from the beginning that implementing them would entail substantial expenditure.

When the manifesto was prepared, the expenditure was estimated at around Rs 40,000 to Rs 45,000 crore. However, the actual expenditure later increased to over Rs 50,000 crore. But the decision to implement the guarantee schemes was taken consciously, he said.

The deputy chief minister said that no one can deny that there is pressure on the state's finances. However, the government has honoured the commitment during the past three years and it has the capacity to continue to do so, he added.

In Delhi, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Monday said the Centre will send teams to Karnataka and Maharashtra to assess the drought situation.