Bengaluru, Mar 24 (Reporter) Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah revealed on Sunday that the state government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court demanding the immediate release of grants under the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF) to tackle the acute drought situation. "The state government has lodged a writ petition in the Supreme Court against the central government's inaction after a five-month wait. "Due to a one-week vacation at the Supreme Court, the endorsement for the petition was not obtained immediately. However, the endorsement would be received in the following week," he told reporters. Siddaramaiah accused the central government of delaying the release of funds despite the severe drought conditions in Karnataka. He stated that despite repeated pleas from the state government, the Centre had not provided any financial assistance. The petition was filed under Article 32 of the Indian Constitution, seeking directions to the central government to release NDRF funds immediately as per the law. Despite efforts, including sending memoranda, meetings with central ministers, and personal meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the state government had not received any financial assistance from the Centre, Siddaramaiah alleged. "On December 20, I and Krishnabyre Gowda (minister) again went to Delhi and met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and made a request. "However, we were not compensated. Later, I met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bengaluru and made a request. However, no solution was found," he alleged. Siddaramaiah focused on the severity of the drought, stating that 223 out of 236 taluks in the state had been declared drought-affected. He cited significant agricultural losses, with crops being lost over an area of 48 lakh hectares. In response to the crisis, the Karnataka government released Rs 650 crore from its treasury to assist affected farmers, distributing Rs 2,000 each to 33.44 lakh farmers...////...