Flood like situation in parts of north Karnataka
Bengaluru: After a brief respite, rains have resumed in many parts of Karnataka, causing a flood-like situation in several areas, especially in the northern belt.
Districts that come under the Krishna basin are facing a flood-like situation with the river and its tributaries in spate because of rains in the catchment areas, especially in neighbouring Maharashtra.
Several parts in the border district of Belagavi are submerged, with increasing inflow into rivers like Krishna, Ghataprabha and Malaprabha and excess water being released from dams in the district.
Low lying areas, roads and bridges and crops are underwater in parts of Gadag, Bagalkote and Dharwad.
Rain and flood-like situation persists in parts of Raichur and Yadgir districts too.
There have been reports of showers in parts of Malnad, coastal and south interior Karnataka regions too.
According to the META department forecast for the next 24 hours, heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely to occur at isolated places over coastal Karnataka and south interior Karnataka, and heavy rainfall likely to occur at isolated places over north Interior Karnataka.
Official data showed that at least 12 districts have been affected by floods and rains since August 1, in which 19 people have lost their lives so far, while two are missing.
A total of 108 relief camps have been opened across these 12 districts so far, where 324 people are currently taking shelter. Fifty three animals have perished so far in the floods.
While 185 houses have been completely damaged, 4,380 have suffered partial damage, the data said. Also, agriculture crops in about 55,993 hectares and horticulture crops in over 49,007 hectares have been affected.
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Reports on CM Naidu’s VB-G RAM G Act concerns significant: Siddaramaiah
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Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said reports of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu flagging concerns over the VB-G RAM G Act’s funding pattern are politically significant and have implications for Centre-State relations.
These concerns assumed importance as they come from a key ally of the BJP whose support is critical to the Narendra Modi government, he said.
Sharing a news article titled "Naidu seeks assistance to state for enforcing new rural jobs law" on his official handle on 'X', Siddaramaiah said the VB-G RAM G Act must be repealed and the MGNREGA Act restored, with necessary reforms.
"The reports that the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh N Chandrababu Naidu has raised concerns with the Union Government over the implementation of the VB-G RAM G Act - especially regarding the altered funding pattern and the additional burden on states - are politically significant and consequential for Centre–State relations," he said.
Siddaramaiah claimed that for months, the Congress party and opposition-ruled states, including Karnataka, have warned that the VB-G RAM G Act undermines cooperative federalism by shifting financial responsibility onto states.
"A BJP ally now echoing these concerns exposes a clear rupture within the NDA and undermines the BJP’s defence of the law," he said.
Siddaramaiah demanded that the union government and the BJP explain why the same objections were earlier dismissed as political criticism, saying the contrast between the two laws is clear.
He highlighted that under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), rural employment was a legal right backed by assured central funding.
"Under the new Act, that certainty is lost. States are required to implement the programme while sharing the cost, without any statutory guarantee of funds. What was once a guaranteed right of the people has been reduced to a matter of negotiation," the Karanataka CM alleged.
He further alleged that this shift has serious implications, saying when a CM is compelled to seek “alternative financial support” through private discussions, it signals that access to funds is being determined by bargaining power rather than by law.
"In the present political context, this raises the risk that allocations may be influenced by political alignment, adversely affecting Opposition-ruled states, including Karnataka," he said.
Siddaramaiah said if NDA partners, especially the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, find the new framework unsustainable, these concerns must be raised openly in Parliament. They cannot be addressed through selective concessions or private assurances.
"The developments reported today make it clear that the VB-G RAM G Act must be repealed and the MGNREGA Act restored, with necessary reforms. Employment security cannot be converted into a negotiable arrangement. Cooperative federalism must be sustained through guaranteed funding and equal treatment of all states - not through uncertainty and coalition arithmetic," he added.
