Bengaluru: The state government has decided to counter the Centre’s claim that there is no drought in Karnataka owing to the heavy rainfall it has received over the last few weeks and send a report to it about crop loss suffered by its farmers in 61 taluks.
Speaking to reporters here after a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on natural disaster, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister, T B Jayachandra said the state had suffered heavy crop loss till the end of August before the rains started in September. In fact, the recent rain had only helped provide drinking water and fodder to cattle, he explained.
While the Centre believes that the rains should have failed till September for an area to be declared drought-hit, the sub-committee has decided to calculate the crop loss and send a report to it, the minister added. “The deputy commissioners of the respective districts have been told to send in their assessments and they will be compiled in the next ten days,” he said. The crop loss has been heavy among ragi and jower growers as their fields have been infested with an insect that is eating away their standing crop, going by the minister. The government is supplying these farmers a monopestocide at a 50 per cent discount to help save their crops.
