The Supreme Court on Tuesday encouraged the Central government and the Karnataka state government to amicably resolve the ongoing issue concerning the release of financial assistance for drought management from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). During a hearing, the bench consisting of Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan emphasized the need for resolution and scheduled further discussion for January.
The Karnataka government, in a plea, has urged the Supreme Court to mandate the Centre to provide the needed financial support from the NDRF for managing severe drought conditions that have impacted the state. According to the state’s counsel, Karnataka has requested Rs 18,171 crore, of which only Rs 3,819 crore has been disbursed so far.
The plea highlights the dire situation in Karnataka, where the kharif season of 2023 saw 223 out of 236 ‘taluks’ declared drought-affected, with 196 taluks severely impacted. The agricultural and horticultural crop losses across these regions have reportedly affected over 48 lakh hectares, with an estimated cost of cultivation loss amounting to Rs 35,162 crore.
The state contends that the Centre’s failure to release the full amount requested under the NDRF is not only arbitrary but also violates the fundamental rights of the people under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. Furthermore, it accuses the Central government of contravening the statutory guidelines laid out in the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the updated manual for drought management.
The petition stresses that the manual mandates the Centre to decide on the NDRF assistance within one month of receiving a report from the Inter-Ministerial Central Team (IMCT), which assessed the drought situation in early October 2023. Despite the detailed IMCT report and its subsequent review by a sub-committee of the National Executive Committee, the Centre has yet to finalize the assistance allocation, nearly six months later.
