Kalaburagi, Jan 12 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday expressed confidence that the regional imbalance in Kalyana Karnataka would be eliminated and equality would be achieved within the next ten years.
He was speaking after inaugurating the “Prajasoudha”, Karnataka Public School (KPS) buildings, and various development works, and distributing benefits to beneficiaries at a programme organised at the KPS School premises in Yadrami by the district administration, Zilla Panchayat and Kalyana Karnataka Development Board, Kalaburagi.
To address regional imbalance, Siddaramaiah said recommendations based on the Nanjundappa Committee report had been implemented. A committee headed by Govind Rao has been constituted to study the impact, and its recommendations would be implemented soon, he said.
The Chief Minister said that in the newly declared Yadrami taluk under the Jevargi Assembly constituency, foundation stones were laid and works inaugurated for 87 projects worth Rs 906 crore, including the inauguration of works costing Rs 38.29 crore and new projects amounting to Rs 867.49 crore.
Siddaramaiah accused opposition parties of spreading falsehoods for political gain. He said they were carrying out misinformation campaigns claiming that the government had no funds for infrastructure projects due to the guarantee schemes.
“If the government were bankrupt, it would not have spent Rs 906 crore in the Jevargi constituency alone,” he said.
The Chief Minister said the government had spent over Rs 1.12 lakh crore and had implemented all schemes promised before the elections within one year of coming to power.
He stated that of the 592 promises made in the last election, 243 had already been fulfilled, and the remaining would be implemented during the rest of the term.
Recalling the previous Congress government, Siddaramaiah said 158 out of 165 promises had been fulfilled then, along with 30 additional schemes not mentioned in the manifesto. In contrast, he alleged that the BJP, which was in power from 2018, failed to fulfil even 10 per cent of the 600 promises it had made.
The Chief Minister said 63 new taluks were declared earlier, but between 2018 and 2023, the BJP provided facilities in only 14 taluks. After coming to power in 2023, the Congress government sanctioned Prajasoudha buildings in 49 taluks, which are now under construction.
He added that while the BJP had sanctioned 19 taluks in Kalyana Karnataka, only two buildings were constructed. In contrast, the present government sanctioned 17 taluks and approved 97 Nada Kacheri offices. In Kalyana Karnataka, 39 offices were sanctioned in the first phase and 53 in the second phase. Nada Kacheris have been sanctioned in 25 taluks of the region, he said.
Siddaramaiah alleged that the BJP had only indulged in communal politics and was misleading people in the name of communalism and Hindutva.
The Chief Minister said that due to excessive rainfall and crop loss, aerial surveys were conducted, and compensation was decided. He said Rs 1,218 crore was released from the SDRF, and an additional Rs 1,031 crore was provided by the state government.
“Across the state, 14.21 lakh farmers suffered crop loss, of which 7,21,786 were from Kalyana Karnataka. Compensation of Rs 1,072 crore was provided for crop damage in the region. In Kalaburagi district alone, 3,23,318 farmers suffered losses, and Rs 498 crore was disbursed as compensation,” he said.
He said funds had been directly credited to farmers’ bank accounts. The government also provided Rs 233 crore for tur crops affected by sterility disease. When sugarcane farmers protested over low prices, the government intervened and provided Rs 50 per quintal from the state and Rs 50 from sugar factories, disbursing Rs 300 crore to cane growers.
Siddaramaiah said BJP leaders, including then Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, had claimed that Article 371J could not be implemented. However, it was implemented during the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh due to the efforts of Mallikarjun Kharge and Dharam Singh, leading to the formation of the Kalyana Karnataka Development Board.
He said Rs 13,000 crore had been provided over three years for the region, including Rs 3,000 crore in the current year.
--IANS
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