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Karnataka growth rate at 14.3%, highest compared to all south Indian states

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Photo: IE

Photo: IE

Bengaluru: Countering charges of various opposition parties, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has asserted that Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) has at 14.3 per cent in 2014-15 against the target of 14.5 per cent.

Replying to a debate on the motion of thanks to governor’s address, Siddaramaiah said that Karnataka’s growth was best compared to all other south Indian states. Reeling out statistics, he said the total revenue collection till January has already reached 80% and they are set to cross 100% by March.

He also said the Congress government has cleared about 54,500 crore investments in the high level committee in 21 months of it’s compared to 44,000 crore of BJP’s five year rule. He said the hero moto corp shifted to Andhra Pradesh lured by incentives and not because Karnataka delayed them facilities.

(Agencies)

Karnataka: Siddaramaiah reverses stand, to fight next election

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Photo: The New Indian Express

Photo: The New Indian Express

Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister, Siddaramaiah, who had announced in different forums that the previous election was his last in his political career, and had declared his decision never to fight any election henceforth during election campaigning in 2013, has taken a U-turn.

He has now announced his decision to fight the next assembly election in 2018.

‘During the next three years three months, I will continue to be the chief minister of the state and complete my full term. The next election will also be held under my leadership. I have taken this decision because of the blabber of the BJP to free the state and country of Congress. I will bring Congress to power again the state by fighting the next election with the
single aim of rooting out BJP,’ he stated.

Siddaramaiah’s outbursts came while giving reply to the debate held during the last one week at the assembly on Governor’s address on Friday February 13.

The chief minister agreed that he had in the past announced his decision not to fight elections. He said he has decided to fight the election with the sole purpose of edging BJP out of the state.

(Agencies)

Real time data system to be put in place to curb female foeticide in Karnataka

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u-t-khader

Bengaluru: Faced with the challenge of curbing female foeticide which continues despite a ban, the state government is mulling to take the help of technology to fight the same.

Minister for Health and Family Welfare U T Khader who announced the same during the Legislative Council informed that a ‘real-time data system’ will be put in place to ensure that every scanning centre is put under round the clock surveillance.

The system will be put in place within a year said Khader replying to a question on Monday, February 9. Once the system is in place, information from an ultrasound centre will go into a central repository system automatically.

The overall female-male sex ratio in Karnataka rose from 965 to 968 between 2001 and 2011 census, the child sex ratio (between 0 to 6 years) declined from 946 to 943.

CM Siddaramaiah turns down CM Ibrahim’s lottery proposal, says govt has sufficient money

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Photo: IE

Photo: IE

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told the Legislative Council on Thursday that the State government will not re-introduce lottery in Karnataka.

The announcement came following criticism from his own party leaders that it will not be wise to bring back lottery which was earlier banned due to its ill effects on the lower middle-class and the poor people of the State.

Janata Dal(S) member Basavaraj Horatti drew the chief minister’s attention on State Planning Board Deputy Chairman C M Ibrahim’s recommendation for re-introducing lottery.

Horatti also said it was not a good move and also reminded the chief minister that it was he who had banned lottery in the State when he was the deputy chief minister in the Dharam Singh government.

Siddaramaiah said: “I read in the newspapers about the recommendation of the Board. But so far there is no proposal before the government regarding re-introducing lottery scheme in the State.”

Siddaramaiah mentioned that Ibrahim frequently visits Kerala and learnt about some kind of lottery where the money generated is utilised for healthcare.

“There is no need to rely on lottery for healthcare scheme. The government is in a position to sanction funds,” Siddaramaiah added. Leader of the Opposition in the Council K S Eshwarappa said the proposal is aimed at generating Rs 500 crore to provide healthcare and suggested that the government should allocate the amount for the scheme.

(Agencies)

Plan to reintroduce lottery opposed

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lottery-ibrahim

Bengaluru: The suggestion by State Planning Commission deputy chairman C M Ibrahim to reintroduce lottery in the State has not gone down well with many a ruling party and Opposition leader.

Banned during the JD(S)-Congress coalition in 2004, lottery had been construed as a bane of the lower middle and lower classes of society.

JD(S) floor leader H D Kumaraswamy said it was an extremely bad suggestion. “I urge the chief minister to not consider such suggestions. We had banned lottery out of concern for the poor who were wasting their hard-earned money on buying the tickets and becoming paupers.

The previous Congress government had started lottery to fund the midday meal scheme. This time it is said to be for a health scheme. Such suggestions are absurd,” he said.

Congress State president G Parameshwara, too, opposed the proposal. He said lottery had been banned because men in many poor families mindlessly spent money on buying lottery tickets, putting their dependents to financial hardship.

“If there was such a strong reason to ban lottery, then we should not be reintroducing it. There is absolutely no need to raise funds for health schemes by selling lottery tickets,” he said.

Sources in the Congress said at the legislature party meeting held on Wednesday that a section of the legislators had opposed the recommendation of the Planning Board. However, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah did not react to the issue.

Opposition leader Jagadish Shettar said there were vested interests, including a lobby, which were aiming at getting lottery reintroduced in the State. “There are many other sources to get funds for the health scheme, if the government collects taxes properly,” he said.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council K S Eshwarappa likened the move to “robbing Peter to pay Paul”. “While the proposal to start a healthcare scheme for poor and middle-class families is welcome, it should not be done through lottery,” he said.

BJP MLC D S Veeraiah said lottery was a form of gambling and a social evil, while his colleague G Madhusoodhan said the proposal should be rejected outright. “The proposal has come from State Planning Board vice chairman C M Ibrahim. Only he can make such recommendations,” Madhusoodhan said.

(Agencies)

Scam in power meter purchase: State government ready for probe

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Vidhana Soudha

Bengaluru: The Opposition BJP has succeeded in making the government agree for an inquiry into reported violation in purchase of electricity meters.

On Wednesday, the state government agreed to initiate an inquiry by Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department into charges made by the BJP in the Legislative Council that Bescom had violated Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurement (KTPP) Act norms in purchase of electricity metres.

Making the announcement in the Council, Leader of the House and Information Technology Minister S R Patil said that the inquiry would be completed and the report submitted within three months.

The BJP on Tuesday had raised the issue in the House, stating that Bangalore Electricity Supply Company (Bescom), in August 2013, had given contract to a Kolkata-based company for purchase of electricity meters worth Rs 180 crore without calling tenders. This was in violation of KTPP Act norms.

Patil said the government had already cancelled the tenders and fresh tenders had been called for purchase of meters. Patil said ordering a Lokayukta probe would send a wrong message that all officials in the department were corrupt.

The Additional Chief Secretary of the Finance Department would conduct the inquiry and submit report, Patil said. Following the minister’s statement, the BJP members withdrew their dharna.

(Agencies)

24 positive cases of H1N1 reported last week

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Representational Image. Photo: REUTERS/Arko Datta

Representational Image. Photo: REUTERS/Arko Datta

Bengaluru: The number of confirmed H1N1 cases in the State has doubled, in the past one week. Health Department sources said that from the 24 positive cases reported last week, the number has now jumped to 54. However no deaths have been reported.

Of the total of 54 cases reported in the State from January 1, the majority have been reported in Bengaluru, itself. Of this, 37 cases have been reported in BBMP limits, while two other cases have been reported from Bengaluru Urban jurisdiction. Officials said 268 samples had been tested for H1N1.

Likewise earlier, last month cases were reported in Tumakuru as well, District Vector Borne Disease Control Officer, Dr.H. Veena informed, “Out of four H1N1 cases, three are from Sira taluk and one from Chikkanayakanahalli taluk.” She said they are all recovering from H1N1.

In the month of January, the hospitals in the city were finding it difficult to cope with the situation as the free supply of H1N1 medicine from the Centre has been stopped. The hospitals had been asked to procure it locally, which was turning out to be an expensive affair.

However Health Minister U.T. Khader said the situation was not alarming and it was being monitored.

RGICD Director Shashidhar Buggi attributed the cases to the fluctuating climate. “The flu can be treated if people seek medical advice at the earliest. But most people tend to ignore the symptoms and report it only when the condition worsens”, he said.

(Agencies)

Lottery to Fund Health scheme in Karnataka

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lottery-ibrahim

Bengaluru: State Planning Board Deputy Chairman C M Ibrahim said on Tuesday he had recommended reintroduction of lottery in Karnataka to fund a proposed healthcare scheme for poor and middle-class families.

Addressing a media conference here on Tuesday, Ibrahim said he has asked Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL) to submit a detailed report in this regard. The JD(S)-BJP coalition government had banned all forms of lottery in 2008.

According to Ibrahim, starting a weekly draw lottery with each ticket costing 500-600 crore a year but also provide jobs to more than 2,000 people.

“The money mobilised could be used for providing long-term treatment, say up to five years, for the poor and the needy,” he said.

When asked whether restarting the lottery would encourage the growth of single digit lottery system and gambling, Ibrahim shot back, “Do you think matka and gambling dens are not active in the state?”

In case the government is not able to start the lottery, it will have to raise around `300 crore from various corporate houses under the corporate social responsibility scheme.

He claimed that the chief minister has agreed to fund the first phase of Anna canteens in Bengaluru. In the subsequent phases, it could be extended to other parts of the state, he said. “The chief minister can even announce it in his budget,” he said.

Seven years after the government completely banned lottery in Karnataka, the board headed by chief minister Siddaramaiah has proposed re-introduction of lottery in the state.

The board has asked the state government to introduce Rs 10 denomination lottery and entrust its issuance to Mysore Sales International Limited (MSIL), a government of Karnataka undertaking.

(Agencies)

Karnataka: Governor asks ruling and opposition to work together

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Vidhana Soudha

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)

Legislature session from today

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Vidhana Soudha

Bengaluru: The 10-day State legislature session is scheduled to commence on Monday with Governor Vajubhai Vala’s address to members of Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council in Vidhana Soudha at 12 noon.

Vala is likely to address the joint session in Hindi, giving insights into the achievements of the Congress government led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and its plans for the development of the State. It is Vala’s first address to joint session after he took over as Karnataka Governor in September last year.

The session is expected to be stormy as Opposition parties, the BJP and the JD(S), are likely to corner the government on various issues including deletion of valuable lands at Bangalore Development Authority’s (BDA) Arkavathi Layout, the controversial bill on taking over mutts and on the issue of revolt staged by Excise Minister Satish Jarkiholi recently.

The Chief Minister is learnt to have told AICC general secretary Digvijaya Singh that he would place the documents related to Arkavathi land denotification before both Houses of the legislature in his defence.

Apart from the Arkavathi issue, the non-payment of dues by sugar factories for cane supplied by growers is also bound to haunt the government during the legislature session as the promise by the Chief Minister and Sugar Minister H. S. Mahadev Prasad of ensuring that the factories paid half the dues by December 31, 2014, has failed to materialise.

Congress and Opposition expected to go at each other.

(Agencies)

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