New Delhi:BJP and the government on Friday fought in the Lok Sabha over compensation to drought-hit Karnataka despite assurances that the Centre would be working out a package for the state at the earliest.
Minister of State for Agriculture Harish Rawat said that as per long-term measures to meet the drought situation in the country, the government had prepared a contingency plan for 180 districts, including those in Karnataka.
BJP member Ananth Kumar raised the issue of drought through a calling attention motion, alleging that the Centre was delaying compensation to the BJP-ruled state where farmers were in a bad shape.
Utilising the issue, BJP members accused the Centre of deliberately ignoring Karnataka while coming out with packages for Vidarbha and Bundelkhand.
This was contested by Congress members including Ministers Sushilkumar Shinde and Veerappa Moily while Rawat rejected the allegation and accused BJP of giving it a political hue.
He said a central team had undertaken a visit to the state from May 13 to 16, the second such tour since December, 2010, to assess the situation and its report was awaited.
As soon as the report is available, the government will try to complete the work fast, he said, referring to the demand for compensation.
But, BJP members were not satisfied by this.
“We had expected concrete assurance in terms of funds and foodgrains. When foodgrains are rotting, they can’t give it to affected states,” Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj said, as she led a walkout by BJP and JD(U) members protesting the discrimination.
Rawat said, “It is sad they are giving political overtone to it. I knew they would walkout and try to give political overtone when I am responding to them with honesty.”
Rawat said 180 districts had been identified for a contingency plan which covers Karnataka also and added that there was a wide-spread demand for relaxing the norms for giving relief under National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
“But we are unable to tamper with this as it has been recommended by the 13th Finance Commission. These norms would remain effective till 2015,” he said.
Earlier, BJP members demanded that the Centre immediately release Rs 1,500 crore to Karnataka, besides three lakh tonnes of rice and 57,200 tonnes of wheat, as an interim measure.
Rawat said a central team, which visited the drought-hit areas of Karnataka, had recommended the grant of Rs 296.58 crore, following which the Centre approved Rs 186.68 crore.
Of this, Rs 70.23 crore was released and Rs 116.45 crore adjusted from the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) balance, he said.
Rawat asked drought-prone states to take cognisance of the manual for droughts and said there should be better synergy between all departments to address the problems of these states so that problems of farmers are addressed.
Shailendra Kumar (SP) sought a long-term plan to have a permanent solution to natural calamities like drought and floods.
BJP leader Ananth Kumar sought to drive a wedge between Congress and NCP by thanking Agriculutre Minister Sharad Pawar for ensuring release of water from the Warana project to boundary areas of scarcity hit Karnataka.
“Pawar was quick to help Karnataka by talking to Maharashtra Chief Minister and the irrigation Minister for which we thank him,” Kumar said, adding that both Rabi and Kharif crops had been affected by drought in Karnataka.
Kumar said hardly anything has been done by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi.
“If you are giving Vidarbha package, a Bundelkhand package, we are not against this, then why don’t you give a Karnataka package,” Kumar posed.
Prahlad Venkatesh Joshi (BJP) said the calamity was so severe that 123 out of 170 talukas in the state were hit, with water bodies completely drying up and severe shortage of food and fodder.
“Does Karnataka not exist in the map of the Centre that it is taking such a casual approach?”
Sivarama Gouda and Shiv Kumar Udasi (both BJP) sought a policy for desilting of all water bodies in the country, including those in Karnataka, saying ground water levels were decreasing every day. (PTI)