Bangalore: A central team would visit Karnataka
on December 14 and 15 to assess the situation in the
drought-hit areas of the state.
Agriculture Minister Umesh V Katti announced this during a
discussion on drought and relief measures in the Assembly.
Karnataka has declared 99 taluks out of the total 176 as
drought-hit.
Leader of Opposition, Siddaramaiah (Congress) cited a news
magazine report which he said put the number of farmers who
have committed suicide in Karnataka at more than 6,000 in the
last three years (2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11).
He said the magazine secured the information through RTI
from the crime records bureau at the state and national level.
Siddaramaiah added that the State`s revenue and
agriculture departments would dispute the figure as it takes
into account only those farmers who owned land and took loans,
and not those who raised money through other sources.
Government`s initiatives were not reaching the farmers and
agricultural labourers and not helping grow rural economy, he
alleged.
The method adopted by the Government in assessing the
impact of drought was not scientific at all, Siddaramaiah
charged, adding, more number of taluks had been affected.
After Maharashtra, it`s Karnataka where largest number of
farmers have committed suicide, he said. "Government is not
serious at all in tackling the drought and taking up relief
measures on a war-footing".
PTI
