Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 16 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara on Thursday said he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking urgent intervention and special financial assistance for Karnataka, citing a severe rainfall deficit, an emerging drinking water crisis, and widespread losses to agriculture and rural livelihoods.
In a post on X, Parameshwara said the state had recorded a 42 per cent rainfall deficit in June and a further 34 per cent deficit in July, resulting in extensive crop losses, declining groundwater levels, reduced inflows into reservoirs and worsening drinking water shortages across rural and urban areas.
"In the backdrop of Karnataka facing a severe rainfall deficit, drinking water crisis, and serious impacts on agriculture and rural livelihoods, I have written to the Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi seeking special assistance," Parameshwara said.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the prevailing conditions have had a severe impact on farmers and rural communities, with nearly 80 per cent of the sown crop reportedly lost in several affected regions. He added that falling reservoir inflows and groundwater levels were threatening water security across the state.
Parameshwara said he had urged the Centre to revise and modernise the existing drought relief framework by accepting Karnataka's updated FRUITS database instead of relying on the 2015-16 Agricultural Census for identifying small and marginal farmers. He also sought harmonisation of the SDRF/NDRF norms and the Drought Manual-2020 criteria related to crop loss compensation to ensure faster and more equitable relief for affected farmers.
He further requested that rainfall deficits between 20 and 59 per cent during the sowing period be included as a criterion for drought declaration instead of relying solely on seasonal cumulative rainfall.
He also called for revising the definition of dry spells to better reflect local agricultural and climatic conditions and urged the Centre to allow states to declare drought at an early stage without waiting for the completion of sowing operations.
"Considering the gravity of the situation, I have urged the Central Government to provide additional assistance and to declare the current drought situation as a 'national calamity' or to extend equivalent special financial aid," Parameshwara said.
He stressed that timely intervention by the Union Government was essential to protect farmers, safeguard rural livelihoods and ensure drinking water security in the state.