Karnataka Ministers Welcome Supreme Court Directive on Drought Relief Funds
23 April 2024 1:17 AM IST
A file photograph of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah (second from left) with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting in New Delhi over the release of drought relief to Karnataka. (DC File Image)
BENGALURU: Karnataka Ministers Krishna Byre Gowda and Dinesh Gundu Rao took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) on Monday to announce the Supreme Court's directive, which has ordered the Bharatiya Janata Party-led Central Government to release Rs 18,172 crore towards drought relief for the State. The Supreme Court's decision came after the ruling Congress government in Karnataka filed a writ petition due to the delay in the release of drought relief funds.
Minister for Revenue Krishna Byre Gowda, speaking to reporters in New Delhi after the Supreme Court's directive, stated that the Central Government has agreed to make a decision on the release of drought relief funds within a week. Gowda hailed the legal battle waged by the Karnataka government against the BJP-led Central Government as "a milestone and a success in our long fight to obtain justice and relief for the people of Karnataka."
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar remarked, "We challenged the falsehoods of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Home Amit Shah in denying the rightful claim of drought relief from the Central Government to the Karnataka farmers." He continued, "We sought justice, and the farmers received their rightful dues from the Modi government."
Before initiating legal action against the BJP-led Central Government, the Karnataka government had declared 223 taluks as drought-affected due to a weak monsoon the previous year. The government submitted its first proposal for drought relief on September 22, 2023, to the Union Ministry of Agriculture, and an Inter-Ministerial Central Team assessed the drought situation in the State in October of the same year and submitted its report to the Central Government.
The State Government submitted another proposal to the Central Government regarding the drought-affected taluks and requested compensation of Rs 18,177 crore. In December of the previous year, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and explained to him the situation of farmers affected by drought in Karnataka, urging Modi to take steps to release the drought relief funds for the State.
After five months of waiting and unsuccessful attempts to obtain a favorable response from the Central Government through presentations, the Congress-led State Government explored legal avenues and filed a writ petition seeking the intervention of the Supreme Court.
Minister for Health and Family Welfare Services Dinesh Gundu Rao remarked, "The Modi government disregarded the appeals of our Congress government for drought relief and failed to anticipate this legal intervention and public exposure." Rao added, "Their negligence has now been exposed, and the prayers of millions of farmers in Karnataka have been answered."
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar remarked, "We challenged the falsehoods of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Minister for Home Amit Shah in denying the rightful claim of drought relief from the Central Government to the Karnataka farmers." He continued, "We sought justice, and the farmers received their rightful dues from the Modi government."
Before initiating legal action against the BJP-led Central Government, the Karnataka government had declared 223 taluks as drought-affected due to a weak monsoon the previous year. The government submitted its first proposal for drought relief on September 22, 2023, to the Union Ministry of Agriculture, and an Inter-Ministerial Central Team assessed the drought situation in the State in October of the same year and submitted its report to the Central Government.
The State Government submitted another proposal to the Central Government regarding the drought-affected taluks and requested compensation of Rs 18,177 crore. In December of the previous year, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and explained to him the situation of farmers affected by drought in Karnataka, urging Modi to take steps to release the drought relief funds for the State.
After five months of waiting and unsuccessful attempts to obtain a favorable response from the Central Government through presentations, the Congress-led State Government explored legal avenues and filed a writ petition seeking the intervention of the Supreme Court.
Minister for Health and Family Welfare Services Dinesh Gundu Rao remarked, "The Modi government disregarded the appeals of our Congress government for drought relief and failed to anticipate this legal intervention and public exposure." Rao added, "Their negligence has now been exposed, and the prayers of millions of farmers in Karnataka have been answered."
( Source : Deccan Chronicle )
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