All Party Delegation from Karnataka calls on PM An all party delegation from the State of Karnataka, led by Chief Minister Shri Siddaramaiah called on the Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today. The delegation sought the Prime Minister's intervention for an out-of-Tribunal settlement on the Mahadayi River water issue, which concerns the States of Karnataka, Goa and Maharashtra. The matter is currently before a Tribunal. The Prime Minister suggested that a consensus in this regard would be necessary among various political parties in all three states, before an attempt can be made to resolve the matter through mutual consultations, out of the Tribunal. The delegation raised the issue of severe drought in the State of Karnataka, especially in the northern parts of the State. The Prime Minister said a Central Team is being sent to the State to assess the situation, at the earliest. The delegation raised the problems being faced by sugarcane farmers, due to the fall in sugar prices. The Prime Minister said these problems were being faced by sugarcane farmers across the country, and the Union Government is a taking a number of steps to address them. The delegation also requested for a hike in the import duty of silk to 30 percent, to protect the interests of the mulberry growers in the State. The Prime Minister said this request would be examined. Union Ministers Shri Venkaiah Naidu, Shri Ananth Kumar and Shri Sadananda Gowda, and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Shri Mallikarjun Kharge were present at the meeting.
