Kharge seeks Centre’s intervention over drought in Karnataka

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah seeking the Centre’s intervention to assist Karnataka as the State faces a severe drought. In his letter, Kharge said Karnataka was confronting what could be its worst drought in 150 years. He said the scale of the situation made adequate Central assistance necessary.

Kharge asked the Union government to focus on small and marginal farmers, as well as the dry Hyderabad-Karnataka belt. He also sought changes to the basis used to calculate input subsidies so that eligible farmers were not left out. Specifically, he requested that the Centre use Karnataka’s updated Bhoomi land records rather than the 2015-16 Agriculture Census.

Kharge said relying on the older census could exclude farmers who were genuinely eligible for support. The Congress president also asked for enhanced assistance to secure drinking water supplies. His letter sought help with the cost of substitute power, particularly because reservoir levels in the Cauvery and hydel catchments were historically low.

The requests place the emphasis on both immediate relief and the method used to identify beneficiaries. Kharge’s proposal would link subsidy calculations to the State’s more recent land records rather than the older agricultural data cited in his letter. He also connected the drought to pressure on water and electricity supplies, arguing that low reservoir levels increased the need for support in maintaining drinking water security and meeting the cost of alternative power.

The source material does not state whether the Prime Minister or Home Minister has responded to the letter, or whether the Centre has announced any assistance. Kharge’s communication is therefore a request for intervention rather than a report of an agreed relief package.