Karnataka - Hubli-Dharwad   

126 taluks drought-hit: Jagadish Shettar

Staff Correspondent

Drought relief work to be taken up shortly

DHARWAD: The Government will declare 126 taluks in the State which have received less than the average rainfall as drought-hit, Revenue Minister Jagadish Shettar has said.

It would start drought relief work shortly, he said.

Speaking to presspersons here on Tuesday, Mr. Shettar said while several taluks were affected by drought, excess rainfall had affected some others. Yet some others had been affected by floods. The Government was taking steps to provide quick relief to all these areas, he said.

Due to excess rainfall and floods 688 villages in the State had been affected, of which 86 villages had been inundated, he said.

The Minister said the state Government was chalking out plans for permanently shifting the villages submerged by floods.

According to preliminary reports, crops in a lakh hectares of land have been washed out. Along with the crop loss compensation given by the Union Government, the State Government would give a matching amount of compensation to the farmers, he said.

Mr. Shettar said the State Government had sought an aid of Rs. 906 crore from the Union Government under the Natural Calamity Relief Fund. An aid of Rs. 500 crore for providing relief to drought-hit areas and three lakh tonnes of foodgrains had been sought from the Union Government, he said. The Minister said he would visit the flood-affected Bijapur and Bagalkot districts on Wednesday.

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