Tiger numbers have increased significantly in Karnataka: CM Siddaramaiah

Mysuru, Jan 5 Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said that the tiger population has increased significantly in the state, particularly in the Mysuru region, and that directions have been issued to capture and relocate the animals to other forest areas.

He made the statement while responding to a question on recent sightings of a tiger near the Mysuru Airport.

“What has happened is that the tiger population in the state has increased significantly, leading to sightings in human habitations from forest areas. Officials have been instructed to take steps to capture the tiger and relocate the captured animal to another forest area,” Siddaramaiah said.

He added that as the number of tigers has increased, combing operations have been initiated and arrangements are being made to transfer the animals to different forest regions. A meeting with officials of the Forest Department has been scheduled for Tuesday to discuss the issue, the Chief Minister said.

When asked about a possible cabinet reshuffle, Siddaramaiah said the exercise should be taken up. “I will discuss the matter with Rahul Gandhi. I have conveyed that I will talk about it in January. Whenever he calls, I will go,” he said.

Responding to a question on preparations for the presentation of his 17th budget, Siddaramaiah said the groundwork had begun and that the budget would be presented after the Sankranti festival.

On whether the investigation into the Ballari clash, in which a Congress worker was killed, would be handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the Chief Minister said he would discuss the matter with the Home Minister. He added that the truth behind the incident would emerge after the police probe.

“Let the investigation proceed and the truth will come out,” he said.

When asked about allegations that the postmortem of deceased Congress worker Rajashekar was conducted twice, Siddaramaiah said he was not aware of it. Responding to a question on the demand for a sitting judge inquiry, he said the police were conducting the investigation and that he would speak on the matter after the truth emerged.

Reacting to the Centre’s measures such as GST-related decisions and the implementation of the VBG Ramji scheme, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka was suffering an annual loss of Rs 12,000 crore to Rs 15,000 crore due to GST, which, he alleged, amounted to a major injustice by the central government.

He said that since the tenure of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Centre had been fully funding the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme. However, the scheme has now been curtailed, resulting in a reduction in the number of workdays provided to labourers, small farmers, women, Dalits, backward classes, minorities and the poor. This, he alleged, amounted to a curtailment of people’s fundamental rights and was unconstitutional.

As per the Act, development works are to be funded by the Centre and the states in a 60:40 ratio, which would impose an additional financial burden of around Rs 3,000 crore on the state government, he said.

The Chief Minister also announced that compensation of Rs 5 lakh each would be provided to the families of the women who died in the balloon explosion incident in front of the Mysuru Palace.

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