Karnataka likely to seek Rs 1,100 crore rain relief from centre: Minister R Ashoka
Bengaluru, Nov 30: Karnataka Revenue Minister R Ashoka on Tuesday said that the state is likely to seek Rs 1,100 crore as relief from the Centre for damages caused during the recent rains.
"The report we have to submit to the Centre is getting ready. We may ask for Rs 1,100 crore as relief," he said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, the memorandum seeking compensation under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) norms will be submitted in three to four days.
According to preliminary data, the recent deluge has resulted in 26 people losing their lives, 5.81 lakh hectares of crop loss and 2,339 km of damaged roads. Officials say these figures have been updated and are being compiled.
Karnataka received 142 mm rainfall in November against the 39 mm it gets on average, which is nearly a 263 per cent deviation from the norm.
Pointing out that the government has so far released a crop loss compensation of Rs 318.87 crore to 4.61 lakh farmers, Ashoka said, "Earlier, it used to be paid once a month or once in three months. We have introduced a new system to pay input subsidies to farmers. We are now making immediate payments in instalments that are released once every three or four days."
All deputy commissioners have been asked to release timely payments to people affected by rains and floods, he said, adding that Deputy Commissioners of districts have Rs 681 crore in their personal deposit accounts.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Trump’s fresh threat to bomb Iran amid reports of deal to end war
Washington (PTI): US President Donald Trump on Wednesday threatened Iran with more bombing if it doesn't reopen the Strait of Hormuz, amid a report that the warring sides were nearing an agreement to end the war.
US media outlet Axios reported, quoting US officials and two other sources, that the US and Iran were getting close to a one-page memorandum of understanding to end the war and set a framework for more detailed nuclear negotiations.
The US expects Iranian responses on several key points over the next 48 hours, Axios reported, adding that nothing has been agreed yet. This was the closest the parties had been to an agreement since the war began.
"Assuming Iran agrees to give what has been agreed to, which is, perhaps, a big assumption, the already legendary Epic Fury will be at an end, and the highly effective Blockade will allow the Hormuz Strait to be OPEN TO ALL, including Iran," Trump said in a post on Truth Social.
"If they don’t agree, the bombing starts, and it will be, sadly, at a much higher level and intensity than it was before," Trump said.
According to Axios, the deal would involve Iran committing to a moratorium on nuclear enrichment, the US agreeing to lift its sanctions and release billions in frozen Iranian funds, and both sides lifting restrictions around transit through the Strait of Hormuz.
It said many of the terms laid out in the memo would be contingent on a final agreement being reached, leaving the possibility of renewed war or an extended limbo in which the hot war has stopped, but nothing is truly resolved.
