100 taluks declared drought-hit: Government seeks financial assistance from Centre
New Delhi, October 30: As the state has incurred Rs 16,662.48 crore worth loss following crops damage due to drought situation, the state government has appealed the centre to provide Rs 2,434 crore compensation under Natural Disaster Relief Funds (NDRF).
After submitting a proposal to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in New Delhi on Tuesday, Revenue Minister R.V Deshpande and Agriculture Minister Shivashankar Reddy told reporters that crops worth Rs 15,294.37 crore grown in 26.18 lakh hectares of land in the state was damaged due to drought situation. Apart from this, horticulture crops worth Rs 1,368.11 crore grown in 1.94 lakh hectares were also damaged. In view of this, the centre should immediately send a team of officials to study the drought situation, they demanded.
If the state had received good monsoon rains, sowing process would have completed in 74.69 lakh hectares. But till September end, the sowing was over in just 63.36 lakh hectares. In view of the drought situation, 100 taluks in the state were declared as drought affected. Out of 3,611 tanks under Minor Irrigation department, only 53 per cent of the tanks have water. Currently, drinking water is being supplied through tankers in 159 villages in rural areas and 136 wards in urban areas. For supplying drinking water, the government has taken over 203 private bore wells, they said.
For the livestock, the government has kept 98.26 metric ton fodder ready and it would suffice for next four months. In order to supply fodder in coming days, the government has distributed 8.11 lakh fodder producing kits to the farmers who have irrigation facility. If the drought situation continued in the same pace, the government has planned to open gaushalas and fodder storage centres, Deshpande said.
In order to handle the drought situation, Rs 100 crore and Rs 50 crore was released from the NDRF and the state government respectively. Out of this amount, each drought-affected taluk was given Rs 50 lakh. Total 6.36 lakh families in drought affected taluks were given jobs, for which Rs 1042.93 crore was spent, Deshpande said.
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Sadananda Gowda expresses pain over factionalism in Karnataka BJP, urges central leadership to act
Bengaluru: Senior BJP leader D V Sadananda Gowda on Thursday expressed pain over factionalism in the Karnataka unit of his party and called it a " big tragedy". The former Union Minister also expressed displeasure over the party high command's delay in taking action, despite his letters and urged them to intervene and to act against those indulging in "indiscipline".
"There were Maharashtra and Haryana polls, as polls are a big challenge, it is natural to keep aside party issues in the states, where there are no polls, for later. So there may be some delay, but I don't think they will be silent," Gowda said responding to a question on factionalism within the party and high command's silence on it.
Addressing reporters here, he said, "However, there is truth in your question, because I have written two letters, one earlier and the other recently as dissent started brewing. But there was no reply for both, which made me feel that the central leadership was not paying attention to issues here." "It is a tragedy that Karnataka, which is regarded as the gateway for the BJP to south India, today has several doors (referring to groups within)," he added.
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A group of party leaders led by senior MLA Basanagouda Patil Yatnal, that include BJP MLA Ramesh Jarkiholi are critical of state leadership, especially President B Y Vijayendra, and are even holding parallel agitations over the Waqf land issue, after staying away from protests held by the party on the same issue. Yatnal and Jarkiholi have been openly critical of Vijayendra, accusing him of indulging in "adjustment politics" with the ruling Congress, and trying to keep the party in his clutches, along with his father and veteran leader B S Yediyurappa.
Recalling that there was much stronger groupism in the party earlier between the factions led by stalwarts, who built the party in the state -- late Ananth Kumar and Yediyurappa, Gowda, who had also served as the state president in the past, said, "but the rift never came to the streets then."
"In Karnataka BJP's history, this is the first time that the internal confusions within the party have come to the streets. This is painful. None of the so called self styled senior leaders of the party in the state, including me, are in a situation to set this right, while some are not even trying to set things right as it will benefit them, there are such leaders too in the party here. So high command has to intervene," he added.
Despite the ruling Congress in Karnataka giving issues to the opposition in a "golden bowl", Gowda said, the internal differences in the party is overshadowing it, and this has pained the party workers.
"Now I don't have any other responsibility other than being part of the party's core committee, but I'm pained looking at the situation of the party that gave me everything including positions of governing the state..... This is a big tragedy," he said.
Appealing to the party leadership to have a "serious look" at the party affairs in Karnataka before the Delhi elections, the former CM even requested them not to compromise on discipline. If action is taken against those who are wrong after detailed inquiry, the party will unite once again, he said. "People of the state want BJP."
Pointing to the saffron party's defeat in the recent by-polls in Shiggaon, Sandur and Channapatna assembly segments, Gowda said, people are not discussing Congress' maladministration, but division and groupism in the BJP. "Despite the BJP having good ideas and agenda, we lack a strong system to encash it." BJP's weakness of groupism has become Congress' strength, he added. Replying to a question on Yatnal and team not accepting Vijayendra as president, Gowda said, "The state president was appointed by the national leadership and that decision has to be accepted. If anyone has reservations about it, they should tell the leadership and not discuss it on the streets."
