Siddaramaiah – Page 9

Siddaramaiah opposes move to dismantle Planning Commission

December 8, 2014 by Nasheman

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah greets Prime Minister Modi during the meeting on the revamping of the Planning Commission at the PM’s residence in New Delhi on Sunday.

New Delhi: Opposing the Centre’s move to create a new body which would replace the Planning Commission, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiha today said there is no merit or justification in the decision to dismantle the existing one created six decades ago.

Speaking at a Chief Ministers’ meet convened by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to discuss the proposal, he said the Commission in its work has adapted to the changed economic environment and reoriented itself to meet the objectives of the economic growth, infrastructure and planned development.

“I wonder why we need a new institution to do what is already being done by the existing one. The allure for the new must not sway us from appreciating the worth of what we have, and improving it,” Siddaramaiah said.

Conceding that in the fast-changing and globalised world, planning and implementation must be faster, he, however, said, “I do not subscribe to the view to dismantle an institution that has stood the test of time.

“Any institution of excellence can be easily disbanded with the stroke of a pen but cannot be created overnight,” the Congress leader said in his strongly worded speech.

He said the role and functions of the Planning Commission as envisaged at the time of its constitution are still relevant today.

“In my view, a new forum is not necessary. Presently, the Planning Commission, has been guided by the deliberations of the National Development Council, in which all the chief ministers of the states are also participants,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said within this overall framework, Planning Commission has been providing enough space to the states for formulating their state plans.

“By adopting such process, the Commission has largely met the objective of planning in a neutral set up,” he said.

The chief minister also criticised the Centre for not holding prior consultations with the states and convening the meeting at a “very short notice”.

“Since this meeting has been convened at a very short notice at the level of the chief ministers chaired by the Prime Minister and there having been no prior consultations at the official level, our response is limited to specific ideas floated in the paper,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said if any major changes are contemplated, the process of proceeding further may be undertaken only after detailed discussion on the “pros and cons and impact of such change on the federal structure of our polity.”

Karnataka govt mulls setting up Nano Park in Bengaluru

December 6, 2014 by Nasheman

“The ultimate purpose of all science and research should be to address the huge challenges faced by the common man in these areas,” Siddaramaiah said. Photo: IE

Bengaluru: To encourage the nanotechnology industry in the state, Karnataka government plans to set up a state-of-the-art Nano Park here, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said today.

“We are planning to establish a state-of-the-art Nano Park in Bengaluru. I am sure this initiative will give a major fillip to the nanotechnology industry to blossom in the state in coming years,“ he said at the inauguration of the seventh “Bengaluru India Nano 2014“, an annual event, here.

The park will have Nano Incubation Centre along with necessary physical infrastructure and support systems including common facilities, he said.

The government is establishing Centre for Nano and Soft Matter Sciences in the city with Centre’s financial support under Nano Mission, for which Karnataka has already allocated 14 acres of land on Tumkur road, Siddaramaiah said.

“I request kind intervention of Bharat Ratna and Professor C N R Rao in moving the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India, to hasten its development work,“ he said.

The Vision Group on Nanotechnology headed by Professor Rao is doing commendable work in recommending initiatives for the growth and development of Nano Science and Technology in the state, Siddaramaiah said.

The government has enhanced budgetary support from the current financial year for schemes and programmes recommended by the Vision Group on Science and Technology, he said.

Siddaramaiah called upon scientists to come up with tangible nanotechnology-based solutions for food security, energy security, water purification, medicine, healthcare and waste management.

“The ultimate purpose of all science and research should be to address the huge challenges faced by the common man in these areas,“ he said.

Given the enabling nature of nanotechnology and its ability to converge with other technologies, it has the potential to address key development related challenges in diverse sectors like energy, water, agriculture, health and environment, Siddaramaiah said.

A significant spin-off of nanotechnology is development of diagnostic sensors and lab-on-a-chip technology, which may soon become an important part of efforts to improve global health, he said.

(PTI)

250 acres allotted to Coca Cola in Yadgir to set up bottling plant

December 1, 2014 by Nasheman

Kalaburagi/Bengaluru: The Karnataka government has finally started process of handing over 250 acres land in Yadgir district to Hindustan Coca Cola Beverages Pvt Ltd to set up a greenfield bottling plant.

The previous Bharatiya Janata Party government had cleared Coca-Cola’s investment plan in Yadgir. But due to a High Court stay, the government could not allot the land immediately.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said the government had approved land for setting up a Coca-Cola factory at the proposed industrial area near Kadechur and Badiyal villages in Yadgir district.

He said he held talks with Hindustan Coca-Cola Beverages Private Limited on Friday and decided to accept its proposal to set up its soft drink plan in Yadgir.

The government decided to draw 25 MLD of water for the industrial area from Joladgi-Gudur barrage built across River Bhima.

Textile Minister Baburao Chinchansoor said water would be drawn from Bhima and Krishna rivers for the plant. However, when asked, Siddaramaiah did not say where the government intended to draw the water from for the industrial area and the cola factory.

Ratna Prabha, State Additional Chief Secretary, Commerce and Industry Department, said the company is expected to invest Rs. 1,000 crore in Yadgir. She said that the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has started making payments to land owners in Yadgir, and the area has been notified for industrial development. The KIADB will soon hand over complete 250 acres at Kadechur village in Yadgir taluk to the company.

Fertile land

Nearly 3,330 acres at Kadechur and Baliyala have been reserved for industrial purpose. Spread across three taluks — Shahapur, Shorapur and Yadgir — the district is known for its cluster of cement industries and a distinct stone popularly know as ‘Malakheda Stone’. The district has a vast stretch of fertile black cotton soil and is known for red gram, cotton, jowar and groundnut cultivation.

(Agencies)

Bengaluru: Group of Congressmen set to revolt against Digvijay Singh

December 1, 2014 by Nasheman

Bengaluru/Agencies: A number of current and past legislators belonging to Congress party are up in arms against Digvijay Singh, who has been in charge of Congress affairs in Karnataka since sometime. These people, who wield considerable clout in the party, have together begun an effort to divest Digvijay of Karnataka Congress affairs, and they have initiated efforts to bring pressure on the party high command to make this happen, sources said.

It is said that some state ministers and legislators are making efforts to ensure that Singh is relieved of charge relating to Karnataka, as they expect All India Congress Committee to be revamped during January or February 2015. Sources say that the issue has already reached Congress national vice president, Rahul Gandhi. These Congressmen are angry at keeping legislators and past legislators at bay while allotting seats in boards and corporations, and that the decisions of a single person is being imposed on all the people without justification.

It is gathered that top leaders in Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) and government were ready to consider these people for heading corporations and boards, but Digvijay stuck to his stand against doing so. The party people are also angry that Digvijay had done so entirely on the advice of an individual.

It is learnt that Digvijay Singh has already instructed both Siddaramaiah and Dr G Parameshwara, to fill posts of directors in all urban development authorities, corporations, and boards in the state without further delay. He has told them to post loyal party workers to urban development authorities and to corporations and boards after obtaining resignations from present office bearers.

KPCC president, Dr G Parameshwar, has suddenly left for New Delhi, fuelling speculations about the purpose of his visit.

After 18 months haul, CM Siddaramaiah appoints chiefs for State Boards, Corporations

November 25, 2014 by Nasheman

Bengaluru: More than a year after assuming power, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah has finally ended the uncertainty over appointments of chairpersons to State-owned Boards and Corporations in the State and the State Government has issued orders for appointments through the respective departments.

Chairpersons to 90 State-owned Boards and Corporations coming under different departments were appointed through appointment orders issued on Monday.

The appointments were cleared by the Congress party high command with the rider that sitting MLAs and those who were defeated in the assembly elections would not be considered and only party workers would be given preference.

As many as 20 women Congress workers have been appointed heads to various government entities.

A good number of office-bearers of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee have been awarded for their hard work.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and KPCC President Dr G Parameshwara, who held several rounds of consultations to prepare a list of candidates, had even consulted the AICC in charge for Karnataka Digvijaya Singh before finalising the names.

The Chief Minister and KPCC Chief had obtained approval for the final list from the party high command last week.

The newly appointed chiefs and deputy chiefs will have a tenure of only 18 months. Noted film director S V Rajendra Singh Babu has been appointed as chairman of Karnataka Chalanachitra Academy, while Congress member Vijayalakshmi Urs will head Kanteerava Studios Corporation Limited.

The other appointees

M Ramachandrappa (D Devaraj Urs Backward Classes Development Corporation); Nanjayyanamath (chief, KHB); Gaddadevaramath (Warehousing Corporation Limited); Syed Ahmed Hussain ( State Tourism Development Corporation); Subhash Chayagol (Border Area Development Authority); L Haumanthaiah (Kannada Development Authority); Rangaswamaiah (Karnataka State Temperance Board); Lohith D Naikar (vice-chairman, KSRTC); Nabiraju (chairman, BMTC); Shivakumar Gowda Shetty (vice-chairman, BMTC); MD Saudagar (chairman, NWRTC) Anand Kumar (Compost Development Corporation) and Bheemanna Saali (chairman, NERTC), Rani Satish (chief, Hutti gold Mines), LN Murthy (chief, Marketing Consultancy and Agency); Veronica Karneel (chief, Soaps and Detergents Limited); Jayaram (chairman, State Textile Infrastructure Development Corporation); B Gurappa Naidu (chairman, State Small Industries Development Corporation); AM Pathan (vice-chairman, State Small Industries Development Corporation); Kadur Nanjappa (chief, State Coir Board); Veena Achhaiah (chief, Handicrafts Development Corporation); CB Rajappa (chief, State Industrial Investment and Development Corporation); Lakshman Rao Chingale (chief, State Khadi and Village Industries); Mallikarjuna Nagappa (chief, Handloom Development Corporation); Ananth (chief, Mysore Paints and Varnishing Ltd); Gurucharan (chief, Mysore Electrical Industries Limited); and ML Anil Kumar (chairman, MSIL).

To accommodate maximum aspirants in boards, CM Siddaramaiah opts for power sharing

November 22, 2014 by Nasheman

CM Siddaramaiah (Photo credit: IE)

Bengaluru: Karnataka chief minister, Siddaramaiah, who has been dilly-dallying on the issue of nominating heads for state-run corporations and boards for fear of ruffling the feathers of disgruntled leaders, has, in consultation with Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president, G. Parameshwara, finalized list of chosen leaders for these posts.

A list of 95 nominations to important boards and corporations has already been handed over to the party high command on Friday November 21. National president of the Congress, Sonia Gandhi, is expected to give her assent to these names in a couple of days, fulfilling the aspirations of 95 power-hungry politicians, who have been lobbying hard and vying with other leaders for these seats.

However, it is gathered that the term of these heads has been truncated to 18 months, as a compromise formula to accommodate maximum number of candidates. On expiry of the first 18 months, the present candidates will have to leave their posts to make room for fresh faces to be nominated by the party leadership again. The Congress government in the state has 42 more months of tenure, and during the last six months, everyone will be busy will elections. Therefore, the formula worked out presently is to share the next three years on prorata basis.

It is gathered that in tune with the high command directive, people who have been loyal to the party since long, and have worked in organizational positions successfully, have been given preference. Parameshwar said that the list includes 12 KPCC ffice bearers, six district Congress presidents, and leaders belonging to other backward castes. Current legislators, close relatives of leading Congressmen, those who fought in the last assembly election and tasted defeat, and those who recently migrated to the party have been left out as the central leadership’s stand on these candidates remained rigid, it is gathered.

The list it is said, has tried to strike a balance between all the castes and categories of leaders. Digvijay Singh and Rahul Gandhi reportedly expressed their approval for this list.

It is said that a list of about 1,500 members of boards and corporations has also been drawn. These members will be absorbed in about two weeks time.

BJP leaders detained while trying to hold protest on Vidhana Soudha premises

November 20, 2014 by Nasheman

Bengaluru: Several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) activists led by BJP state president Pralhad Joshi were detained by the police as they tried to hold a protest in front of Mahatma Gandhi statue on Vidhana Soudha premises here on Thursday.

Leaders including former chief ministers B.S. Yeddyurappa and Jagadeesh Shettar and former ministers K.S. Eshwarappa, Shobha Karandlaje, Suresh Kumar and others stormed the Vidhana Soudha premises demanding that all “tainted” ministers be dropped from the cabinet, beside a host of other demands.

Tension prevailed on the premises and there was exchange of words between the police and the leaders, as the former refused to allow leaders to hold a protest in front of the statue. While Karandlaje, who was successful in reaching the statue, was arrested there, the other leaders were detained as soon as they entered the Vidhana Soudha premises through the East Gate.

Joshi said that stopping them from holding a peaceful protest amounted to “curbing the rights of legislators.” He said that they would hold another protest on December 2 and a rally at Belagavi during legislature session there beginning on December 9.

(With inputs from The Hindu)

Keep Gauri Lankesh away from naxal panel, tells BJP; CM refuses

November 15, 2014 by Nasheman

Photo: K . Bhagya Prakash

Bengaluru: The Bharatiya Janata Party has urged the Karnataka Governor to direct the state government to keep senior journalist Gauri Lankesh away from the committee formed by the government to help bringing the naxals into the mainstream by convincing them to shun violence and surrender.

A delegation of the BJP leaders comprising legislators and leaders from the Malnad region C. T. Ravi, D. N. Jeevaraj and Bhanuprakash, accused Ms. Lankesh of having a soft corner for naxals and said it would not be possible for the government to have a dispassionate view on the issue if she was present on the panel.

Emerging from Raj Bhavan after submitting a memorandum to governor Vajubhai Vala, former minister, C.T. Ravi claimed Ms Lankesh, who is convenor of the Civilian Forum for Peace, was a Naxal supporter and her presence on the committee was likely to help the ultras rather than the government.

Criticising the ongoing efforts to ensure surrender of naxals Sirimane Nagaraj and Noor Zulfiqar, the BJP said the two were old and ill. Instead, efforts should be made to convince the young and active naxals to shun violence.

Meanwhile Chief Minister Siddaramaiah shunned the BJP’s suspicions over Ms. Lankesh. He accused the party of seeing everything with a biased view.

CM Siddaramaiah to reshuffle cabinet, at least six ministers to be shown the door

November 10, 2014 by Nasheman

CM Siddaramaiah (Photo credit: IE)

Bangalore: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah is planning to revamp his council of ministers by this year-end, and according to sources at least six ministers to be shown the door.

Under-performance and ill-health are said to be the two main factors that are going to determine the reshuffle. The chief minister has held a preliminary round of consultation with AICC general secretary in charge of Karnataka, Digvijay Singh, in this regard. But the final nod from the party high command is yet to come, says one media report.

According to sources, the ministers likely to be dropped are: Shamanur Shivashankarappa (Horticulture), Qamarul Islam (Minority Welfare), Kimmane Ratnakar (Primary Education), Parmeshwara Naik (Labour), Abhaychandra Jain (Fisheries) and Baburao Chinchanasur (Textiles).

DHNS says, Siddaramaiah has already directed his office to compile a report on the performance of each of the ministers. The report is being prepared based on implementation of budgetary programmes, number of review meetings held, touring the State for inspection and file clearance, sources added.

However, neither Siddaramaiah nor the party high command has prepared a tentative list of names for new ministers. The process to select names is likely to commence after the winter session of the State legislature likely to be held in December at Suvarna Soudha in Belagavi.

Both Parameshwara and Siddaramaiah are likely to meet the party top brass on November 16 to finalise the list of names for boards and corporations, besides those to be inducted into the ministry. The CM, who did not want to go in for expansion, had to change his plans due to mounting pressure from within the party over non-performing ministers.

The high command had recently asked the CM to give a dossier on each minister.

439 new Gram Panchayats to be formed in Karnataka ahead of 2015 polls

October 29, 2014 by Nasheman

Bangalore: As many as 439 new Gram Panchayats may be formed in Karnataka by the time the government will hold elections Gram Panchayat election in the state in May 2015. With this the number of Gram Panchayats in Karnataka will go up to 6,068 from 5,629.

A committee appointed by the government to study the relevance of the Karnataka Panchayat Raj Act, 1993, headed by S.G. Nanjayyanamath, in its report submitted on Tuesday recommended for the formation of 439 new GPs. Each one of these will have an approximate population of 6,175.

Accepting the report, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the recommendations would be implemented by the next elections to GPs, which is due in May 2015.

Another committee, headed by K. Narasimhamurty, identified over 3,351 Lambani and Banjara tandas (settlements) in the State, against 1,334 in revenue records, and recommended for converting them into revenue villages.