Karnataka to Convene Special Legislature Session on Severe Drought and Western Ghats Report

The Karnataka government has announced that a special three-day session of the state legislature will be convened from September 21 to September 23, 2026. Briefing reporters after a cabinet meeting in Bengaluru, Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara stated that the session will be exclusively dedicated to deliberating on the severe drought conditions gripping the state and formulating a comprehensive response to the Union Government's draft notification regarding the Dr. K. Kasturirangan Committee report on the Western Ghats. Highlighting the severity of the crisis, Parameshwara noted that Karnataka is currently experiencing an unprecedented dry spell brought on by global weather anomalies, affecting agricultural productivity, rural livelihoods, and drinking water availability across multiple districts. The special session aims to review relief measures, assess crop loss, and draft a formal memorandum seeking financial assistance from the Central Government. In addition, the Cabinet allocated Rs 25 crore to the Animal Husbandry Department to procure and distribute fodder kits to support livestock in drought-hit regions. The second major focus of the session will be the Kasturirangan report, which seeks to declare over 1,400 villages in Karnataka as Ecologically Sensitive Areas (ESA). While the Karnataka government and local communities in the Western Ghats region have repeatedly rejected the draft notification over fears of economic disruption and displacement, the special session will allow lawmakers across party lines to build a unified consensus. The government confirmed that regular legislative business, such as Question Hour and Calling Attention motions, will be suspended to ensure focused debate during the three days.