Surjewala urges Centre to release drought relief to Karnataka, questions "silence" of BJP MPs
Bengaluru (PTI): Congress General Secretary and Karnataka incharge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday urged the union government to immediately release Centre's grants to the State including drought relief without any further delay.
He also questioned the ''silence'' of BJP MPs on the matter. In a statement here, he said the state government had declared 223 taluks among the total 236 as drought-hit, and there is a loss of standing crop in over 48.19 lakh hectare, as per study report from experts.
The small and marginal farmers are in dire straits, Surjewala said.
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"The state government in a memorandum to the Centre had sought to release Rs 18,177.44 crore relief funds, which included Rs 4,663.12 crore towards input subsidy, 12,577.86 crore for emergency relief and another Rs 363.68 crore to save cattle heads. However, the union government plays deaf to the state's memorandum," he alleged. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda had also met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah and appealed for the release of central aid to Karnataka, Surjewala noted.
Deputy Chief minister DK Shivakumar had also met the Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and other senior officials of the Agriculture ministry and presented a memorandum, but still a ''mute response'' from the Centre, Surjewala said.
"Centre should also take steps to release other stalled grants," he said. He also alleged that MPs from Karnataka remain mute spectators on Centre's ''injustice'' to the State and criticised them for not responding to the plight of farmers, who are in great distress. "They are waiting for immediate relief from the Centre. There are 26 BJP and one BJP supported MPs in Karnataka, I failed to understand what they are doing in support of the distressed farmers and people of Karnataka,'' Surjewala said.
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UP: Misled by GPS navigation, car falls into river from partially constructed bridge, 3 dead
Bareilly (UP), Nov 24: Three people died when their car fell into the Ramganga river from a partially constructed bridge here on Sunday, police said, adding that they suspect the driver was misled by its navigation system into taking the unsafe route.
The accident occurred around 10 am on the Khalpur-Dataganj road when the victims were travelling from Bareilly to Dataganj in the Badaun district, they said.
"Earlier this year, floods had caused the front portion of the bridge to collapse into the river, but this change had not been updated in the system," Circle Officer Ashutosh Shivam said.
The driver was using a navigation system and did not realise that the bridge was unsafe, driving the car off the damaged section, the police said.
There were no safety barriers or warning signs on the approach to the damaged bridge, leading to the fatal accident, Shivam said.
Upon receiving information, police teams from Faridpur, Bareilly and Dataganj police station rushed to the spot. They recovered the vehicle and the bodies from the river, Shivam added.
The circle officer said that bodies had been sent for post-mortem. Further investigation into the matter is underway.
— Bareilly Police (@bareillypolice) November 24, 2024
