Gadag seeks Rs 500 crore drought relief after Rs 219 crore crop loss

Gadag district has reported agricultural and horticultural crop losses worth Rs 219 crore due to drought, district in-charge minister Basavaraj Rayareddi said. He told journalists that more than 180 taluks across Karnataka are affected, with each district needing about Rs 500 crore for relief works and employment generation. The report on Gadag's losses will be verified, and the government will push for Nargund to be declared a drought-hit taluk.

Rayareddi said around two lakh people will be employed under the VB-G RAM G scheme for 125 days, for which the state has set aside Rs 6,000 crore. A central team will visit Karnataka to assess conditions before the Union government officially declares a drought and releases funds. The minister noted that while Karnataka contributes Rs 4.5 lakh crore in taxes to the Centre, it receives only Rs 68,000 crore in return, urging the Centre to consider the state's dire situation.