Karnataka apprises Centre of flood losses, seeks aid
New Delhi: Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy on Thursday apprised Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh of the losses due to floods in parts of the state and sought central financial assistance of Rs 1,118 crore.
Kumaraswamy said that the southern state had suffered losses totalling Rs 3,425 crore on account of damaged crops and infrastructure, and cattle deaths.
“We have submitted a memorandum to the Home Minister on the losses,” Kumaraswamy told reporters here.
Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara said that a final memorandum will be submitted to the Centre after a comprehensive assessment of the losses.
Karnataka has sought financial assistance of Rs 1,118 crore from the central government as per the norms of the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF).
Its memorandum said that crops on about 23,123 hectares of land were damaged, leading to estimated losses of Rs 313.52 crore. Damage to infrastructure accounted for Rs 1,746 crore loss.
The production of coffee in Karnataka will fall by 20 per cent this year due to floods, which will cause a further loss of Rs 100 crore, it said.
Coastal and other districts of Karnataka had received heavy rains around mid-August, following which a flood alert was sounded in the southern state. The affected districts included coastal Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, Uttara Kannada, and south interior districts of Kodagu, Chikkamagaluru, Hassan and Shivamogga.
