Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at his office in New Delhi on Tuesday. During this, he demanded immediate release of a compensation package of Rs 18,177.44 crore to deal with the drought situation in the state. Karnataka Revenue Minister Krishna Byregowda also attended the meeting along with Siddaramaiah. Siddaramaiah gave a 3-page letter to Modi seeking help from the central government. In the letter, Siddaramaiah has explained in detail about his demands.
What is written in CM Siddaramaiah’s letter?
In his letter to the PM, Siddaramaiah has written, ‘Dear Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thank you very much for sparing your valuable time to meet me today. As you know, a large part of Karnataka is facing severe drought. As per the procedure laid down in the 2020 Drought Manual, 223 out of 236 taluks in the state have been declared drought affected. Of the 223 drought affected districts, 196 are severely drought affected. Around 48.19 lakh hectares of agricultural and horticultural crops have suffered losses ranging from 33 to 100 percent.
‘More than 80 percent loss reported’
Siddaramaiah further wrote in the letter that more than 80 percent damage has been reported in most areas. ‘Small and marginal farmers are most affected, as about 83 per cent of the land under cultivation falls under small and marginal agricultural holdings,’ he writes. Karnataka has assessed the damage caused to crops and has sought input subsidy of Rs 4,663.12 crore from NDRF. The average size of operational holdings in Karnataka has declined from 3.2 hectares in 1970–71 to 1.35 hectares in 2015–16. The average size may have decreased further over the last 8 years. Therefore, relying on the figures of 2015-16 would be a great injustice to Karnataka.
‘Eagerly waiting for the solution’
In the letter, Siddaramaiah has talked about the situation of farmers in Karnataka and many other issues. He has written that the farmers of Karnataka are in deep trouble. Siddaramaiah has written that since the crops have been ruined, it is important that we pay the input subsidy to the farmers soon so that their hardship and suffering can be reduced. At the end of his letter, the Chief Minister of Karnataka has written that I am eagerly waiting for a positive response and early resolution of the above issues in the interest of the farmers of Karnataka.
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