Bangalore, Sept 17: Karnataka government today decided to depute an eight-member ministerial team to New Delhi to apprise the Prime Minister A B Vajpayee and others on the intensity of the drought situation faced by the state and seek Central assistance for relief works.

The team headed by home minister Mallikarjuna Kharge besides calling on Vajpayee, would meet deputy prime minister, L K Advani, Union agriculture minister, Ajit Singh and others, minister for information, Kagodu Thimmappa told the press. The government has been requesting the Centre to provide two lakh tonnes of foodgrains for food for work programme in drought hit areas, but the Centre has not responded so far, he said. He said that the state had already submitted utilisation certificate for one lakh metric tonnes of foodgrains it received under Rozgar Yojana during this July, apparently dismissing charges made to this effect by Karnataka unit BJP president, Basavaraj Patil Sedam.
Thimmappa said that out of 1.77 lakh tonnes of foodgrains allocated by the Centre under Sampoorna Rozgar Yojana the government lifted 1.69 lakh tonnes and utilised 84 metric tonnes.
The state has kept Rs 30 lakh cash and foodgrains at the disposal of the deputy commissioners in drought affected districts, he said.

Bureau Report