Karnataka Declares 226 Taluks Drought-Hit as State Prepares Relief Demand for Centre

The number of drought-affected taluks in Karnataka has reached 226 after nine more areas were added to the list, according to Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara. Speaking in Bengaluru, Parameshwara stated that the final memorandum to seek drought relief funds from the Centre will be ready within a week.

Relief and Assessment

Ground-truthing is complete in the nine newly added taluks, while assessment under the Trigger-1 criteria continues in other areas. The final memorandum will determine the total loss and the exact relief amount to be requested under National Disaster Response Fund guidelines. Last year, the state sought about 18,000 crore rupees in relief, and officials note that losses are higher this year as 226 taluks face drought. Both Parameshwara and Chief Minister D K Shivakumar have urged the Centre to relax NDRF norms, though no response has arrived yet. Once the memorandum is ready, a state delegation plans to travel to Delhi to submit it.

Court Verdict on Quotas

In addition to the drought situation, the state Cabinet is meeting on Thursday to discuss a recent Karnataka High Court verdict. The court struck down a 2022 state law that increased Scheduled Caste reservations from 15 to 17 percent and Scheduled Tribe reservations from 3 to 7 percent, ruling that the changes crossed the 50 percent limit. The Cabinet will decide whether to appeal the decision in the Supreme Court or push to add the law to the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution.

Context

State governments in India rely on financial support from the central government through disaster response funds when natural calamities like droughts affect large farming populations. At the same time, reservation policies in education and jobs remain a major legal and political issue, subject to strict judicial limits set by higher courts.