Minister says Cabinet has cleared proposal for cloud seeding in drought-hit areas

Minister notes Cabinet has cleared proposal for cloud seeding in drought-hit areas Updated – August 20, 2026 09: 35 pm IST – BENGALURU.

Key points

• Cheluvarayaswamy on Thursday informed the Legislative Assembly that the State Cabinet has given clearance for taking up cloud seeding if necessary in drought-hit areas.
• Responding positively to the MLA's suggestion, the Minister remarked that a proposal had already been discussed and approved by the State Cabinet.
• The Minister was replying to a call-attention notice tabled by Congress member N.H.
• Konareddy, who participated in the debate on the drought, appealed to Opposition members to end their protest and take part in the debate.
• Protesting Opposition members remarked they too were eager to debate on drought, but the administration must sack Mr.

Major Irrigation Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy on Thursday informed the Legislative Assembly that the State Cabinet has given clearance for taking up cloud seeding if necessary in drought-hit areas.

Meanwhile, the Minister was replying to a call-attention notice tabled by Congress member N.H. Konareddy, who appealed to the administration to take up cloud seeding in the parched districts that are facing a shortage of drinking water and fodder due to deficient rainfall. Mr. Konaraddy remarked the experiment of legislators from Haveri district taking up cloud seeding had yielded positive results, with the district witnessing some amount of rainfall.

Meanwhile, the Assembly commenced the debate on the drought gripping the State, even as Opposition BJP-JD(S) members were protesting, seeking the resignation of Minister for Planning and Statistics B. Nagendra. On Thursday, only ruling Congress members participated in the debate. It remained inconclusive.

In practice, the ruling members, including Mr. Konareddy, who participated in the debate on the drought, appealed to Opposition members to end their protest and take part in the debate. Mr. Konareddy appealed to the administration to take a delegation to the Centre to convince the Centre to immediately release drought assistance for Karnataka.

Protesting Opposition members remarked they too were eager to debate on drought, but the administration must sack Mr. Nagendra, who has been chargesheeted by investigation agencies, to facilitate such a debate, they insisted.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly R. Ashok asked the ruling members to seek the release of drought relief funds from the administration and the constitution of task forces led by MLAs to execute relief works. It was a matter of concern that relief measures were yet to be seriously implemented despite prolonged dry spells, he remarked.

In short, minister says Cabinet has cleared proposal for cloud seeding in drought is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.