From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Mysuru, Nov 5: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has directed all the ministers to visit all the taluks in the State, make an on the spot study of the drought situation meet the people and submit a detailed report by November 15.
Speaking to media persons in Mysuru on Sunday, he said he has written letters to all the ministers to tour the taluks and make a detailed study of the latest situation with regard to drought conditions.
Siddaramaiah made it clear that the direction to the ministers is not in response to study teams and tours announced by the opposition BJP and JD(S) but was part of the government performance.
The State Government has halted the drought relief operations just because the union government has not released funds to the State despite repeated letters and even a visit of the Central study team.
"The government has already released Rs 900 crore for drought relief operations and the work has commenced. We have ensured that drinking water and drought relief works are carried out despite the Centre’s apathy in not releasing the funds,’’ he said.
The chief minister, however, said the Centre has just released Rs 600 crore towards the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme works on Saturday in response to repeated reminders from the State government.
Siddaramaiah attacked the Narendra Modi BJP regime for being "totally indifferent to the plight of the people of Karnataka’’ and said the government’s first memorandum on the drought situation mentioned that the relief of Rs 17,900 crore had been sought as per the Central norms, which has not been ignored. The government had informed the Centre about the loss of Rs 33 crore.
"The central ministers have refused to give any appointment to the State’s ministers so far. The Revenue, Rural Development and Agriculture ministers had been sent to Delhi. But the Modi regime has given scant respect to Karnataka and have not given appointment to any of the three ministers. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is indifferent to Karnataka on the drought situation and also on the Cauvery issue,’’ he said.
The chief minister wondered what the 25 BJP MPs were doing and the usefulness of the study tours announced by BJP and its ally JD(S), when they have failed to get anything from the Centre. "They are fooling the people," he said.
Siddaramaiah accused Modi of being indifferent to Karnataka out of revenge as the BJP had suffered its worst defeat and Congress won 135 assembly seats, which was obviously beyond Modi’s expectations. The prime minister had promised to bring a transformation in the State through his repeated visits to Karnataka. But people have rejected him and the BJP, he said.
The chief minister disclosed that the government has again written to Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, who are the two key persons in the Centre, to release funds to the State as per the Central norms.
He said both BJP and JD(S) should exert pressure on the Centre and urge
the prime minister to release funds for drought relief by visiting Delhi instead of announcing plans to go on study tours in the State.
Answering questions, he said the government will conduct a comprehensive probe into the irregularities in the Karnataka Examination Authority.
The murder of Mining Department official Pratima will be probed, he said.
Lashing out at Modi and BJP for criticising the poll guarantees announced by the Congress party in Karnataka and other States, Siddaramaiah wondered how the sops announced by BJP are welfare schemes to the poor while similar programmes by Congress are dubbed as freebies.
"Why are Modi and Shah now announcing poll guarantees in the five state assembly polls?", he asked.
Siddaramaiah said both BJP and JD(S) have been disillusioned and frustrated after their defeat in the assembly polls.