Today, On 10th December, The Supreme Court urged the Centre and the Karnataka government to address issues concerning drought aid. Attorney General R. Venkataramani, representing the Centre, requested additional time to submit an affidavit on the matter. The request was made before a bench comprising Justices B. R. Gavai and K. V. Viswanathan. The case highlights the need for collaborative efforts to resolve disputes over drought relief assistance.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court urged both the Centre and the Karnataka government to resolve the issue regarding the release of financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) for drought management in the state.
Attorney General R. Venkataramani, representing the Centre, requested additional time to file an affidavit on the matter before a bench of Justices B.R. Gavai and K.V. Viswanathan.
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The bench responded,
“You should resolve it.”
The court was hearing a plea from the Karnataka government, which sought a directive for the Centre to release NDRF funds for drought management. During the proceedings, the bench inquired about the amount released so far. The counsel for Karnataka stated that while the state had requested Rs.18,171 crore, only Rs.3,819 crore had been granted.
The matter has been scheduled for further hearing in January. On April 29, the Centre informed the court that approximately Rs.3,400 crore had been allocated to Karnataka for drought management.
The petition argues that the Centre’s refusal to release the full financial assistance violates the fundamental rights of the state’s residents as guaranteed under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution. It highlights that Karnataka is experiencing “severe drought,” impacting the lives of its citizens, with 223 out of 236 ‘taluks’ declared drought-affected during the kharif 2023 season, which runs from June to September. Of these, 196 taluks were classified as severely affected, while 27 were considered moderately affected.
The plea further states that cumulative crop losses in agriculture and horticulture have been reported over more than 48 lakh hectares, with an estimated financial loss of Rs.35,162 crore. It seeks Rs.18,171.44 crore in assistance from the Centre.
The Karnataka government contends that it was compelled to approach the Supreme Court due to the “arbitrary actions” of the Centre in denying financial support under the Disaster Management Act, 2005, and the updated drought management manual from 2020.
The petition asserts that the Centre’s actions violate the statutory provisions of the Disaster Management Act, as well as the guidelines for the State Disaster Response Fund and the NDRF.
According to the drought management manual, the Centre is required to make a final decision on assistance within a month of receiving the inter-ministerial central team’s (IMCT) report.
Despite the IMCT’s assessment of drought-affected districts conducted from October 4 to 9, 2023, and evaluation by the sub-committee of the National Executive Committee, the Centre has yet to make a final decision regarding assistance from the NDRF, even after nearly six months since the report’s submission.
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