Centre informs SC of its ₹3400-cr calamity relief to Karnataka, court seeks report

Centre allocates ₹3400 crore to Karnataka for drought relief, Supreme Court urges amicable resolution, Karnataka seeks ₹18,171.44 crore.

The Centre informed the Supreme Court on April 29 about is allotment of over ₹3400 crore to Karnataka to provide relief to the drought-affected parts of the State,

Appearing before a Bench headed by Justice B.R. Gavai, Attorney General R. Venkataramani apprised the court of the development.

The Bench asked the Centre to place on record a report by the Inter-Ministerial Central Team.

On April 22, the Centre had urged the court to give it a week to iron out issues on the release of calamity relief. The Bench had listed the case on April 29.

The court had advised the Centre to amicably resolve differences with Karnataka, saying that was the healthy thing to do in a federal structure.

“Both the Union and the States are equal partners,” the Bench, also comprising Sandeep Mehta, had highlighted to Mr. Venkataramani.

On April 8, the apex court had similarly questioned the Centre about the steady stream of States moving court against the Union government. Recently, Tamil Nadu government too accused the Centre in the Supreme Court of treating the people of the State in a “step-motherly” fashion by delaying the release of disaster relief funds to the tune of nearly ₹38000 crore to help tide over the twin calamities of cyclone Michaung and unprecedented floods in the southern districts. Likewise, Kerala filed a first-of-its-kind suit directly in the apex court, blaming the Centre of arbitrarily interfering in its net borrowing limits, pushing the State to the brink of a financial emergency.