Hans News Service Bengaluru

RuralDevelopment and Panchayat Raj Minister Eshwar B Khandre has suggested that the Karnataka government write to the Centre seeking amendments to the guidelines under the Drought Management Manual, stating that the existing norms are inadequate to assess the ground reality of drought conditions.

The suggestion was made during a meeting of the Cabinet Sub-Committee chaired by Revenue Minister Dr G Parameshwara to review the State’s 2026 monsoon and drought situation, along with other natural disaster conditions, and to decide on policy measures and necessary steps to manage them effectively.

Khandre pointed out that the State had already made several representations to the Centre seeking changes to the drought management guidelines, but they had not been considered. He suggested that the State should once again write to the Centre, highlighting the shortcomings of the guidelines point by point and seeking necessary amendments.

Under the existing Drought Management Manual, declaring a taluk as drought-affected requires consideration of not only rainfall deficiency but also satellite-based indices. Khandre said this approach could lead to situations where a crop fails despite receiving some rainfall, but the area is not declared drought-affected because the sowing-based criteria are not met.

He said the drought situation in Karnataka is assessed scientifically based on reports from the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) and the Disaster Management Cell of the Revenue Department before a formal drought declaration is made.

According to the existing norms, a taluk can be considered for drought declaration based on factors including a 60 per cent deficiency in rainfall compared to normal, more than 50 per cent deficiency in sowing and a continuous dry spell of three weeks, during which there is no rainfall and soil moisture is depleted.

Khandre, however, said these criteria could become a major constraint when there is only light or sporadic rainfall. Even a small amount of drizzle can result in some soil moisture, making it difficult to meet the prescribed criteria despite severe crop stress and adverse conditions on the ground.

He stressed the need for the drought assessment mechanism to reflect the actual conditions faced by farmers rather than relying solely on rigid technical parameters.Ministers Lakshman Savadi, Puttaranga Shetty and others attended the Cabinet Sub-Committee meeting.