National vice-president of the BJP, B.S. Yeddyurappa, on Wednesday charged the State government with failing to utilise the funds released by the Union government to tackle the drought situation in the State.
Talking to presspersons here on Wednesday, Mr. Yeddyurappa said that the Centre has already released the State’s quota, amounting to Rs. 521.14 crore, under the Calamity Relief Fund and the Natural Disaster Relief Fund this year. However, the State government had spent only Rs. 39 crore to tackle the drought conditions so far.
Mr. Yeddyurappa said the State government had admitted that the current drought was one of the worst after the one in 1972, but it had not tto take up drought-relief works. He said in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region, distress sales of cattle had already begun.
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“The government should immediately open goshalas and fodder banks in all villages and supply free fodder to farmers,” he said. He brushed aside the allegation that the Union government favoured other States such as Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh while releasing relief amount. “Karnataka has also been sanctioned a sum of Rs. 1,540 Crore for providing relief to the farmers who lost their crop,” he said.
He said the State government had no moral right to blame the Centre of step-motherly treatment. “First utilise the available funds and if that is not sufficient the Centre will provide additional funds,” he added.