Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Oct 14: Karnataka is set to declare nine more taluks drought-hit, taking the total number of drought-affected taluks in the state to 226, deputy chief minister Dr G Parameshwara said on Wednesday, October 14, as the government prepares to seek financial assistance from the Centre to tackle drought-related losses.

Parameshwara said field inspections had been completed in the nine taluks proposed for drought declaration, while the remaining taluks were being assessed to determine whether they met the prescribed criteria.

“If any of the remaining taluks meet the stipulated criteria, steps will be taken to conduct field inspections there as well,” he said.

The state government is preparing a final memorandum detailing the losses suffered by Karnataka, which is expected to be ready within a week, the deputy chief minister said.

Once the overall losses are assessed, the government will determine the amount of financial assistance it can seek under the guidelines of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), he added.

Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, deputy chief minister Parameshwara and other officials will finalise the members of a delegation that will travel to New Delhi to submit the memorandum in person, he said.

The delegation will urge the Centre to release the financial assistance needed by Karnataka to address the losses caused by the drought, Parameshwara added.