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Karnataka's drought-hit taluks rise to 124
Why in News?
124 taluks now drought-hit in Karnataka: the SDRF-NDRF relief chain GS3 keeps testing
Karnataka increased its drought-declared taluks to 124, making more farmers eligible for SDRF/NDRF relief.
Why it matters: factual, Prelims-type; Karnataka-specific
What you need to know
2 min read
The Karnataka government has expanded its list of drought-declared taluks to 124, adding 23 more following an assessment of rainfall deficiency and crop loss.
Declaration of a taluk as drought-hit under state and central drought management guidelines makes farmers eligible for input subsidy and other relief measures under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) framework.
Karnataka has one of the largest numbers of drought-prone taluks among Indian states because of its extensive dryland and semi-arid tracts.
Sources: Topper IAS editorial (PIB / The Hindu / Indian Express)
Key facts
Remember these
- Karnataka has declared 124 taluks as drought-hit, adding 23 more taluks.
- Declaration follows assessment of rainfall deficiency and crop loss.
- Drought-declared taluks make farmers eligible for input subsidy under SDRF, supplemented by NDRF.
- Karnataka has among the largest number of drought-prone taluks in India due to extensive dryland and semi-arid tracts.
Prelims · Mains
How the exam will ask it
Prelims
- Karnataka has increased the number of drought-declared taluks to 124.
- Farmers in drought-declared taluks become eligible for input subsidy under the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), supplemented where needed by the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF).
- Drought declaration is based on state and central drought management guidelines assessing rainfall deficiency and crop loss.
Mains
Under GS3 (Disaster Management), the issue is Karnataka's recurring dryland drought vulnerability leading to the expansion of drought-declared taluks to 124 under state and central drought management guidelines; this triggers relief provisions through the SDRF, supplemented by the NDRF, for affected farmers. The way forward lies in strengthening drought-proofing measures such as watershed development, drip irrigation, and crop diversification to reduce dependence on post-facto relief funding.
Quick recall
Answer before you reveal
Farmers in Karnataka's drought-declared taluks become eligible for relief mainly through which mechanism?
- National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) directly disbursing funds
- Central Water Commission drought fund
- Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority's own corpus fund
- State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF), supplemented by the NDRF
Show answer
Answer: D — Drought-declared taluks become eligible for farmer relief under the State Disaster Response Fund, supplemented where needed by the National Disaster Response Fund.
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