The Hindu : Drought: `Centre to release Rs. 249 crores'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Feb 21, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

Drought: `Centre to release Rs. 249 crores'

By Our Staff Reporter

BANGALORE, FEB. 20. The Centre has agreed to release Rs. 249 crores and 4.13 lakh tonnes of foodgrains for drought relief in the State, the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, announced here on Friday. He also announced postponement of elections to agricultural produce marketing committees (APMCs) and cooperative societies by six months and a contingency plan to supply drinking water in drought-affected areas during summer.

Laying the foundation for a wholesale vegetable market at Byatarayanapura, which is estimated to cost Rs. 23 crores, Mr. Krishna said a meeting convened in New Delhi today by the Deputy Prime Minister, L.K. Advani, had taken the decision on granting funds and foodgrains. He could not attend the meeting though Mr. Advani had invited him.

Mr. Krishna recalled that he had criticised the Centre as it had failed to take a decision on relief measures even 45 days after an expert committee, which studied drought in the State, had submitted its report. Karnataka was the only State reeling under drought, and the Centre had released only 1.65 lakh tonnes of foodgrains, that too long ago, he added.

The Chief Minister said the State wanted to lift the foodgrains in five months. Such a duration was required since it was hard to get railway rakes for transporting foodgrains.

The Government had also sought rakes for transporting drinking water as part of its contingency plans for summer, he added.

The State Government's representative in New Delhi, B.S. Patil, told presspersons separately that the State had sought two rakes from the Railway Board. The Government had identified 450 villages facing water shortage. This may go up to 1,000 at the height of summer.

Mr. Krishna said the Deputy Commissioners had been asked to be ready with "thousands of water tankers at your command" to ensure supply of drinking water. "This has to get top priority," he said.

Mr. Krishna said the State had been in a dilemma on holding elections to the cooperative societies and the APMCs as the Lok Sabha and the Assembly elections too were being held. But the elections to the Assembly and the Lok Sabha were a Constitutional obligation. Hence the Government had postponed the elections to the cooperative societies and the APMCs.

At his press conference, Mr. Patil said the State Government was yet to get Rs. 700 crores of the Rs. 1,600 crores under the Centrally-sponsored schemes.

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