Nirmala Sitharaman confusing Karnataka people on drought relief: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru, April 7 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has criticised the Central Government's delay and apparent confusion regarding the allocation of NDRF funds, accusing Union Ministers Amit Shah and Nirmala Sitharaman of evading timely decisions and attempting to confuse the public with misleading statements.

"The central government seems to have no regard for Karnataka. Having failed to take timely action to conduct the HLC meeting & decide on our NDRF claims, they are deploying Central Ministers to come to Bengaluru and give statements based either on half-truths or blatant lies and they think people can be confused," he said on X.

Explaining the distinction between the State Disaster Response Fund (SDRF) and the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF), Siddaramaiah argued that while the SDRF allocation is based on the Finance Commission's recommendation and is the state's entitlement, additional support from the NDRF is necessary in unprecedented disaster situations such as the current drought affecting Karnataka.

The allocation of Rs 697 crore from the SDRF by the Central Government is acknowledged, but this amount is insufficient to address the extensive damages caused by the drought, amounting to over Rs 37,000 crore, Siddaramaiah contended. He argued that the plea for additional support from the NDRF, amounting to Rs 18,171 crore, is essential to adequately address the crisis.

Siddaramaiah also flayed Sitharaman for her statements regarding special grants recommended by the Finance Commission for Karnataka.

He argued that Sitharaman's portrayal of the Finance Commission's recommendations is misleading and that there were no distinctions made between 'preliminary' and 'final' recommendations in the reports issued by the 15th Finance Commission.

Moreover, Siddaramaiah questioned why Karnataka would need to resort to loans if it is entitled to funds as per the Commission's recommendations for significant infrastructure and environmental projects.

Casting doubt on Sitharaman's proficiency and understanding of fiscal policies, Siddaramaiah questioned whether she was capable of effectively managing the Finance Ministry.

He also stated that the people of Karnataka will hold the BJP accountable for what he perceives as lies and betrayal.