We will release drought relief funds to Karnataka ‘expeditiously’, Centre tells Supreme Court

The Union government informed the Supreme Court on Monday that the Election Commission had allowed it to release funds to address the drought in Karnataka and that action will be taken “expeditiously”, The New Indian Express reported.

Attorney General R Venkataramani told the bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta that there was no need for any argument in the matter before the court as the Election Commission has allowed the Union government to deal with it.

“I think it’ll be done expeditiously,” he said. “My Lords may keep it [next hearing] anytime next Monday or so...something will happen before [then].”

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the Karnataka government, did not object to the attorney general’s assurance.

On March 23, the Karnataka government filed a plea in the Supreme Court alleging that the Centre had not extended financial assistance to the state for drought management.

The state government’s plea contended that 223 out of the 236 taluks, or subdivisions of a district, have been hit by drought. Of this, 196 taluks have been categorised as severely affected and the remaining 27 are moderately hit.

The total estimated loss due to crop damage in the state is Rs 35,162.05 crore.

The Congress government in Karnataka had sought Rs 18,171.44 crore from the Centre’s National Disaster Response Force. While Rs 4,663.12...

Read more