Karnataka expanded its drought-hit list to 226 taluks and prepared a final loss memorandum. It will seek central relief while separately appealing the High Court's SC-ST quota ruling.
Image used for representational purposes only
Bengaluru,Oct 15, 2026 19:08 IST
Karnataka has declared 226 taluks drought-hit, with preliminary estimates suggesting losses could exceed Rs 60,000 crore, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said on Thursday, according to news agency Press Trust of India.
The state government is preparing a final memorandum on the losses and plans to approach the Centre for relief. It has also decided to challenge the Karnataka High Court ruling that set aside higher reservations for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru after a Cabinet meeting, Parameshwara said nine more taluks had been added to the drought-hit list, taking the total from 217 to 226.
"The government is assessing drought conditions in the remaining taluks. Those meeting the eligibility criteria under Trigger-1 parameters will undergo a ground-truthing exercise, following which more taluks may be included in the list," Parameshwara said, as reported by PTI.
This means taluks that meet the initial criteria will undergo field verification before they are added to the list. If no more taluks qualify, the existing list of 226 will be considered final, he said.
Parameshwara said the final memorandum detailing drought-related losses was expected to be completed within one or two days. Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had directed the government to take an all-party delegation to the Centre to submit the memorandum and seek relief.
Opposition parties had expressed unwillingness to join the delegation, but the government would make another attempt to persuade them, he said.
"If they agree to participate, it would be good. Otherwise, the chief minister, some ministers and I will visit Delhi and seek appointments with the prime minister and the concerned Union ministers," Parameshwara said. The delegation would explain the severity of the drought in Karnataka and seek assistance from the Centre.
The state had initially estimated drought-related losses at about Rs 46,000 crore. Preliminary estimates now indicate that the losses could rise to between Rs 60,000 crore and Rs 70,000 crore, Parameshwara told PTI.
However, the state cannot seek compensation for the entire estimated loss. The amount eligible for central assistance must be calculated under National Disaster Response Fund guidelines, he said.
Last year, despite estimated losses of about Rs 49,000 crore, Karnataka had sought around Rs 18,000 crore from the Centre under these guidelines. If this year's losses reach about Rs 60,000 crore, the state may seek between Rs 18,000 crore and Rs 20,000 crore, he said.
Parameshwara clarified that these were preliminary estimates. The final amount would be decided after a detailed assessment of the losses and calculations under the applicable guidelines.
On reservations, Parameshwara said the state government had decided to challenge the High Court ruling that set aside the increase in quotas for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. It would file a Special Leave Petition before the Supreme Court.
Further legal and administrative steps would be discussed by the Political Affairs Committee, including the possibility of placing the relevant legislation in the Ninth Schedule, he said.
On Monday, the Karnataka High Court struck down provisions of a 2022 state law that raised reservations for Scheduled Castes from 15 per cent to 17 per cent and for Scheduled Tribes from 3 per cent to 7 per cent. The court held that the higher quotas breached the 50 per cent ceiling.
The Karnataka government will finalise its drought-loss assessment before seeking central assistance, while separately moving the Supreme Court against the High Court decision on higher SC and ST reservations.
- Ends