Center should wake up now, release funds: Minister Krishna Byre Gowda
Bengaluru: After the Center sought two weeks’ time in the Supreme Court to decide on Karnataka’s plea for drought-relief funds, Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said at least now the Central government should wake up and release the funds. Karnataka’s plea seeking apex court’s direction to the Center to release drought-relief funds came up for hearing on Monday.
The minister said the court expressed its view that the delay was not justified and the Attorney General and Solicitor General, on behalf of the central government, sought two weeks’ time to take a decision and come back before the court.
The minister said that when the court was to issue notice, the Attorney General and Solicitor General requested not to issue the notice saying that they will decide on it and come before the court. “I think they (Centre) understand the views of the court. The bench also said that if you (Centre) take any decision then it can be resolved outside the court also. The court also expressed hope that the Center will take such a decision,” the minister said.
When the case came up for hearing, ministers and senior officials of Karnataka were present in the Supreme Court. He said the state had already submitted a memorandum to the Center and even a central team had visited 13 districts in the first week of October last year. By November 20, he said, the officials had submitted their report to the Union Home Minister. Minister Krishna Byre Gowda says, ‘Karnataka declared drought early, but till now no relief has been received.’
But since November 20, the high level committee has not taken any decision. The file is gathering dust on the table of the Home Minister. We continued our efforts and also met the secretaries of agriculture and home departments and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in December 2023,” the minister said and added that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would again meet the PM. Was done. January and put forward the same request.
As per the law, the Center should have released the drought relief amount within a month of the visit of the central team in November, he said. “The central government was in deep sleep and did injustice to Karnataka. We were forced to go to the Supreme Court and on March 23 we filed our application. “After this the central government woke up and wrote a letter to the Election Commission on March 28, that too after realizing that the matter was coming before the Supreme Court,” he said.
The minister said that at least now the central government should release funds. The state had sought Rs 18,172 crore for drought relief, of which Rs 4,663 crore was for providing relief to farmers. If Rs 4,663 crore is released, each farmer can get around Rs 13,000. If farmers are given money during drought then at least they will get some relief.
The minister expressed hope that the central government will take a decision so that farmers can get a relief of Rs 13,000.
