Bengaluru: The govt Thursday officially declared 40 more taluks as drought-hit, taking the total number of drought-affected taluks to 217.The govt had declared 101 taluks drought-hit in the first phase on Aug 27, followed by 23 taluks in the second phase on Sept 17 and 53 taluks in the third phase on Sept 22. With Thursday’s addition, 217 of the state’s 240 taluks are now classified as drought-hit, leaving only 23 outside the list.Meanwhile, the govt has sought Rs 7,142.6 crore from Centre for drought relief for 177 taluks declared drought-hit previously, with crop losses estimated at Rs 46,324 crore.Deputy CM and revenue minister G Parameshwara wrote to Union home minister Amit Shah and agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan Thursday, seeking urgent assistance.Parameshwara also urged Shah to revise SDRF and NDRF norms, saying existing input subsidy rates do not reflect current cultivation costs. In his letter to Chouhan, he sought an early assessment by the central team and quick release of the relief fund.“Considering the scale and severity of the present drought, it is necessary for the state and Union govts to work in coordination,” he wrote. “Our farmers must receive timely and adequate support. The relief provided should reflect actual losses they have suffered.”The state had initially sought Rs 3,705 crore for 101 taluks. A further 76 were later declared drought-affected after scientific assessment.The 76 taluks (in Phase 2 and 3) alone reported crop damage across 27.5 lakh hectares, with losses estimated at Rs 27,576 crore. Tur, maize, cotton, sugarcane, soybean and green gram were among the major crops affected. Across 177 taluks, crop damage has been reported over nearly 47.1 lakh hectares. Parameshwara said the total could exceed 55 lakh hectares.Of the Rs 7,142.6 crore sought under NDRF, Rs 4,998.6 crore is for input subsidy and Rs 2,144 crore for fodder and drinking water.
