Karnataka’s drought crisis has widened to 226 taluks after nine more were added to the drought-affected list, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said on Wednesday, as the state prepares a final memorandum seeking relief from the Centre.
Parameshwara, who also holds the Revenue portfolio, said the memorandum detailing drought-related losses across Karnataka is expected to be completed within a week. The total estimated loss and the amount sought from the Centre will be finalised in accordance with the guidelines of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
“Ground-truthing has been completed in the nine newly identified taluks, while assessment under the Trigger-1 criteria is underway in some of the remaining taluks. Those that qualify will also be taken up for ground-truthing,” he told reporters in Bengaluru.
The process means the state is continuing to verify conditions on the ground before adding further taluks to the relief request. Parameshwara said more taluks could qualify, which would increase the scale of reported losses and the financial assistance sought from the Union government.
The Deputy Chief Minister said Karnataka had sought around Rs 18,000 crore in drought relief last year. This year, he said, losses had occurred across almost the entire state, while 226 taluks had already been declared drought-affected.
“We sought around Rs 18,000 crore in drought relief. This year, losses have occurred across almost the entire state, and 226 taluks have already been declared drought-affected. If more taluks qualify, the losses will increase further,” Parameshwara said.
The expanded list places the focus on how drought declarations are converted into relief claims. The state must complete assessments, document losses and align its memorandum with NDRF norms before the Centre considers the request. The process also establishes the administrative basis for determining which areas and losses qualify for assistance.
Parameshwara said he and Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had urged the Centre to relax the NDRF norms for drought relief. Although the Union Agriculture Minister had assured them that the request would be examined, the state had not received any further response, he said.
After the memorandum is finalised, the Karnataka government will decide whether to send a delegation comprising the Chief Minister, the Deputy Chief Minister and others to Delhi. The delegation would submit the memorandum to the Centre and seek appropriate relief.
The state’s next formal step is therefore the completion of the final memorandum within the expected one-week timeline, followed by a decision on the proposed delegation and the relief request.
