Bengaluru, Oct 15 — Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister G. Parameshwara on Thursday said the state government would file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court challenging the High Court verdict quashing the enhanced reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
He also said the government was preparing a final memorandum on drought losses and plans to take an all-party delegation to the Centre to seek relief. Responding to questions on the sting video controversy, he clarified that the issue was not discussed at the Cabinet meeting and no decision was taken on an investigation.
Speaking to the media outside Vidhana Soudha after the Cabinet meeting, Parameshwara said the final memorandum was expected to be ready within the next one or two days.
Earlier, 217 taluks had been declared drought-hit. With the addition of nine more taluks, the total has increased to 226, he said.
The drought situation in the remaining taluks is being assessed. Taluks that meet the eligibility criteria under Trigger-1 will undergo a ground-truthing exercise. If they are found eligible following the assessment, additional taluks will be included in the drought-hit list. Otherwise, the existing list of 226 taluks will remain final, he clarified.
Parameshwara said Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar had instructed the government to take an all-party delegation to the Centre to submit the final memorandum.
Although opposition parties had already expressed their unwillingness to participate in the delegation, the government would contact them again and request their participation, he said.
“If they agree to participate, it would be good. Otherwise, the Chief Minister, I and a few ministers will visit Delhi and seek appointments with the concerned Union Ministers and the Prime Minister,” Parameshwara said.
The delegation would explain the severity of the drought in Karnataka, highlight the need for relief and submit the final memorandum to the Centre, he added.
The state has estimated drought-related losses at around Rs 46,000 crore so far. Preliminary estimates suggest that the total losses could reach Rs 60,000 crore to Rs 70,000 crore after the final assessment, Parameshwara said.
However, the state cannot seek compensation from the Centre for the entire estimated loss. The amount eligible for relief must be calculated separately in accordance with the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) guidelines, he explained.
Last year, despite estimated losses of around Rs 49,000 crore, the state had sought approximately Rs 18,000 crore in relief from the Centre under the NDRF guidelines.
Similarly, if the losses this year reach around Rs 60,000 crore, the state may seek relief of approximately Rs 18,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore, depending on the applicable guidelines, he said.
Parameshwara clarified that these were preliminary estimates and that the final amount would be determined only after completing the assessment of losses and calculations under the NDRF guidelines.
Parameshwara also said the state government had decided to challenge the High Court verdict quashing the enhanced reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes before the Supreme Court.
A decision had been taken to file a Special Leave Petition (SLP) in the Supreme Court, he said.
Further legal and administrative measures would be discussed by the Political Affairs Committee. The possibility of including the reservation provisions under the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution would also be discussed before deciding on the next course of action, he added.
Responding to a question about a probe by investigative agencies into the sting video controversy, Parameshwara said the matter had not been discussed at the Cabinet meeting.
“No discussion took place on this issue during the Cabinet meeting, and no decision was taken regarding an investigation,” he said.