Central Government announces drought relief: Karnataka receives ₹3,454 Crore
New Delhi: The central government has announced a relief package of ₹3,454 crore to combat drought conditions. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, along with Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, engaged in discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi to secure this relief.
After persistent efforts by the state government, the central government finally responded by granting drought relief under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). Initially, Karnataka had requested ₹18,174 crore in September last year to address the drought situation. However, with no immediate response from the central government, the state government approached the Supreme Court.
During the hearing in the court, the central government had informed that the Election Commission has given permission to fulfill the demand of the state government to provide financial assistance for drought management in Karnataka.
Following the Supreme Court's intervention, the central government has committed to releasing the drought relief, which has now been officially announced.
In addition to Karnataka, Tamil Nadu has also received compensation of ₹275 crore from the central government to address similar challenges.
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NEET student hangs self in Rajasthan's Sikar
Jaipur (PTI): A student preparing for the NEET examination allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in a rented room in Rajasthan's Sikar on Friday, police said.
According to the police, the student allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan using his sister's scarf while one sister was attending coaching classes and the other was in the bathroom.
He had appeared in the NEET UG exam 2026, which was cancelled due to paper leak, they said.
Udyog Nagar SHO Rajesh Kumar said that the deceased, identified as Pradeep Meghwal, was a resident of Kanika ki Dhani village in Jhunjhunu's Gudha Gaudji area.
He had been living in a rented room in Sikar's Jaldhari Nagar area with his two sisters while preparing for NEET over the last three years.
His elder sister later found him hanging and informed the landlord and police after bringing him down, officials said.
The SHO said the body was kept at SK Hospital mortuary, and a postmortem had not been conducted.
The student's father, Rajesh Kumar Meghwal, told police that Pradeep's NEET examination had gone well and the family was expecting him to score around 650 marks.
Former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot expressed grief over the incident and linked it to anxiety among students after reports of irregularities and paper leaks in NEET 2026.
Pilot said repeated paper leak incidents and cancellation of examinations were affecting students' mental health and demanded a time-bound investigation and strict action against those responsible.
