A win for Karnataka: Centre finally releases Rs 3,454 cr drought relief fund

In a major victory for Karnataka’s fight for funds, the Narendra Modi-led Union government on Saturday finally approved the release of a drought-relief fund worth Rs 3,454 crore to the state, days after the state government had filed a petition before the Supreme Court over the issue.

However, the state government had sought Rs 18,171 crore as relief, and approached the Supreme Court in March after the Modi government failed to release funds despite multiple representations.

According to media reports, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has thanked the apex court for pushing the Central government into acting on the Congress' demand for the grant of funds under the National Disaster Management Fund norms.

On 23 April, Siddaramaiah had staged a dharna in Bengaluru, protesting against the delay in the release of drought-relief funds by the Centre, and criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah over the issue.

Siddaramaiah said the protest — held in front of the Mahatma Gandhi statue on the premises of Vidhana Soudha, which houses the Legislature and state Secretariat — was aimed at drawing public attention towards the "injustice" done to Karnataka and its people by the BJP-led government at the Centre.

He alleged that Modi and Shah "hate Karnataka and its farmers" due to which the drought relief funds were not released even after seven months of severely reduced rainfall.

The chief minister said the state has not seen such a severe drought in 100 years. Citing government survey reports, he said 223 out of 240 taluks (administrative units) of the state are drought-affected.

"Modi and Amit Shah hate Karnataka and its farmers," Siddaramaiah said during the protest organised by the state's ruling Congress. "When we asked them to provide us drought relief assistance as per the NDRF norms, they did not react."

Congress general secretary in-charge of Karnataka, Randeep Singh Surjewala, ministers Ramalinga Reddy and Krishna Byre Gowda, and some Congress MPs and MLAs were among those present.

Several memoranda to the Centre seeking the release of grants were "met with silence", though the state assessed that it required Rs 18,171 crore for drought relief work as per NDRF norms, he said.

With PTI inputs