New Delhi: The Centre on Monday told the Supreme Court that around Rs 3,400 crore has been released to the Karnataka government for drought management in the state.
A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta was hearing a plea filed by the Karnataka government seeking a direction to the Centre to release financial assistance from the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to the state for drought management. “Some amount has already been released,” the bench asked Attorney General R Venkataramani, who was appearing for the Centre. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Karnataka, said Rs 3,450 crore has been released but the state’s request was for assistance of Rs 18,000 crore. He said an inspection was done by a inter-ministerial team which sent a report to a sub-committee.
Referring to a chart annexed in the state’s petition, he said it relates to the claims made in accordance with the policy of the Centre. Sibal said the amount sought for gratuitous relief to families whose livelihood is seriously affected due to drought was Rs 12,577 crore. The problem is, according to us, this particular claim has not even been addressed and this is part of the policy of the Government of India under the National Disaster Management Act,” Sibal said. “We are grateful for the amount which has been given. There is no issue on that,” he said.
Sibal said there was an inter-ministerial team which went to the state and looked at all these factors and gave a report to the sub-committee, which in turn then send it to the appropriate authority to take a decision. “That inter-ministerial report is not with us,” he said, adding, “So my request to your lordships is that ask them to place that report before your lordships and in accordance with that, whatever is decided, we have no problem”.
Venkataramani said whatever the inter-ministerial team recommended, the sub-committee took that into account. When the bench asked about the recommendations, the top law officer said, “I wish to say the recommendations have been acted upon”. The bench asked him to place the recommendation of the inter-ministerial team. ”I will place a note,” he said.
The bench posted the matter for hearing on April 6.
On April 22, the Centre had told the top court that the Election Commission had given clearance to it to deal with the issue raised by Karnataka regarding financial assistance for drought management.