Bengaluru: Deputy chief minister G Parameshwara on Monday said the state govt will soon submit a report to the Centre seeking advance release of funds under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) as it prepares to tackle a possible drought.He told the media that he was prepared to meet Union home minister Amit Shah personally to explain the situation and seek early financial assistance from the Centre.He said the state govt has already directed officials to ensure there is no shortage of drinking water or fodder for people and livestock. Review meetings have already been held in Belagavi, Chitradurga and Tumakuru districts, where officials were instructed to prioritise drinking water as several reservoirs have reached dead storage levels. Available water, he said, should be used only for drinking purposes.Parameshwara said he and chief minister DK Shivakumar would visit Bidar on Monday and Kalaburagi on Tuesday to assess the drought situation and issue further directions to officials.He expressed hope that recent rainfall would improve the situation, noting that showers in parts of the state and the Malnad region had increased inflows into the KRS reservoir. Adequate inflows into the reservoirs would help avert a drinking water crisis, he said.He added that fodder kits are already being distributed to livestock owners, while seeds are being supplied to farmers with borewells to encourage fodder cultivation. District administrations have also been directed to establish fodder banks and goshalas wherever necessary.
