From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru

Bengaluru, Aug 12: As many as 98 taluks in 26 of the 30 districts of Karnataka have been declared as drought affected by the State Cabinet on Tuesday.

The State Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, decided to sanction Rs 200 crore to mitigate drinking water supply to the affected people.

The money would also be utilised for energising pump-sets.

The State Cabinet directed all the deputy commissioners of the drought-affected districts on the actual crop loss.

Deficit rainfall was highest in Vijayapura (-63 %) and lowest in Kolar (-22%). Deficit rainfall in other districts was (all minus) – Raichur 61%, Yadgir – 55, Bagalkote – 52, Kalaburagi – 51, Bidar – 50, Gadag – 44, Koppal – 41, Belagavi – 41, Dharwad – 39, Haveri – 29, Ballari – 27, Chikballapur - 24, Chamarajangar – 23, Ramangaram and Kolar – 22.

The southwest monsoon being 27 per cent deficient up to now (June 1 to August 11), nearly 12 lakh hectares of sown area had been adversely affected, according to official sources.

About 26 per cent of the sown area has withered owing to scanty rainfall. a total of 184 farmers committed suicides owing to debt burden and other reasons in the last four months.