Bengaluru: With the Opposition BJP and JD(S) at loggerheads with the ruling Congress party over the Arkavathi Layout controversy and other issues, Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Rudabhai Vala has called upon the opposition and treasury benches to work together for the development of the State and the welfare of the people.
Addressing the joint session of the Karnataka Legislature, the Governor said the overall development of the State and the welfare of the people must be the main concern of all political parties.
Incidentally, Vala is the first Governor to address the joint session of the State legislature in Hindi, a move which has attracted widespread criticism from the pro-Kannada organisations.
However, copies of the Governor’s address were printed and made available by the Legislatutre Secretariat to the members as well as the media not only in Hindi but the State’s official language of Kannada as also in English.
In his 40-minute address running 24 pages, the Governor said the finances of the State have improved over the last year and said the State was well on its way to implementing the developmental programmes.
A sum of Rs 26,847 crore of commercial taxes had been collected up to November last year, which was 16.15 per cent higher than the achievement for the previous year for the same period.
The e-initiatives of the Commercial Taxes Department have made tax compliance by the tax-payer easier simpler and more transparent, he said.
A sum of Rs 8825 crore was the revenue earned by the Excise Department up to November 2014 with a growth of 8.43 per cent as compared to last year, the Governor said.
Vala noted various steps taken by the Government to tackle the various problems of Bengaluru City and said Bengaluru Metro Rail Project Phase I was targeted for completion this year.
The Governor said a state-widegeographic information system (GIS) would be established which would be available to all departments as an important and innovative governance tool in their day-to-day planning and monitoring of schemes.
“The Karnataka-GIS portal will be the first of its kind in the country,” the Governor said.
(Agencies)
