CM Siddaramaiah writes to Amit Shah, Nirmala Sitharaman to expedite releasing drought relief funds
Bengaluru, Nov 15: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Wednesday wrote to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar to expedite the process of releasing the drought relief funds to the state.
In separate letters to the three Central ministers, Siddaramaiah highlighted the dismal rainfall this year which was the lowest in the last 122 years.
The chief minister pointed out that out of 236 taluks, 223 have been declared drought hit in Karnataka. Among them, 196 are categorised as severely drought affected.
Noting that Karnataka has estimated a loss of Rs 35,162.05 crore, Siddarmaiah said the state government has sought Rs 18,171.44 crore from the National Disaster Relief Fund (NDRF) for undertaking drought relief measures in the state.
The chief minister pointed out that there are 52.73 lakh small and marginal farmers with a land holding of less than two hectares, who are most impacted by drought as the majority of them depend on agriculture for living and input subsidy are the only available recourse for them to resume agricultural activities.
"The state government is seeking Rs 12,577.9 crore to facilitate payment of Gratuitous Relief towards subsistence of the small and marginal farmers whose lives and families' lives are completely dependent on agriculture activities for their immediate sustenance," the chief minister said.
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Stalin claims DMK secured 1.54 crore votes
Chennai (PTI): DMK president M K Stalin on Tuesday, in a veiled reference to the TVK, claimed that the party that won additional constituencies has gained only 17.43 lakh more votes than the DMK.
He was referring to the April 23 Assembly polls where the DMK and its allies secured 74 seats, with the Dravidian party netting 59 constituencies.
In a statement, Stalin said, "the percentage difference in votes between us and them is just 3.52 per cent," in an apparent reference to the Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kahzagam emerged victorious in the polls, the results of which were announced on Monday.
Claiming that the DMK alliance has secured 1.54 crore votes, Stalin said, "I consider each and every one of your votes as an invaluable token of trust".
Stating that DMK has been in power several times, he said "there is no victory we have not seen and there is no defeat we have not faced".
"Whether in victory or defeat, those who regard them equally and continue their journey toward their ideals are the comrades of the party", he said adding "you are the lifeblood and roots of the movement".
"The harvest of 1.54 crore votes is the fruit of your commitment", he said.
"What return can I offer for your hard work? With the feeling of being the chief worker, we will continue our journey," the DMK chief added.
Stalin said "if we are the ruling party, we will formulate schemes for the people. If we are the opposition party, we will fight for the people's demands. In that regard, now as a strong opposition party, we will continue to work for the people".
Asserting that the DMK will continue the journey of taking forward the policies of the century-old great Dravidian movement, protecting race, language, and nation, the DMK leader said "in our journey, I will not leave anyone behind. We will win again".
