Bengaluru: 2 Central teams to assess rain loss

Bengaluru, 12 Sep 2018 [Fik/News Sources]: As promised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Centre has sent two teams to assess the devastation caused by rain and landslides  in the Malnad and the coast.  While one team headed by Union Home Joint Secretary Anil Malik will head to Madikeri, another team headed by Deputy Secretary, Bharathendra Kumar Singh will survey Dakshina Kannada and Hassan districts.

Revealing this here on Monday, Revenue Minister R V Deshpande said the state government planned to send a list of the victims of the floods and landslides in a day or two to the Centre as Mr Modi had promised to release some aid to them  through the Prime Minister's relief fund as well. The state, which is confronting drought in some parts, intends to approach the Centre for help with providing relief in these districts too.

Mr Deshpande, who was speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Cabinet sub-committee on drought, explained that once the extent of the drought was assessed in accordance with NDRF guidelines, the Centre would be approached once again for help. The Minister revealed that 86 taluks of 23 districts were confronting a drought for the 13th consecutive year. "Farmers have not carried out any sowing in  over 12 lakh hectares owing to the poor rainfall.  Of 74.69 hectares of farmland in the state, sowing has been done only in 62.88 and even here crops have either withered or have started to wither.