From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Dec 15: In a major policy decision, the State Government has empowered the MLAs the authority to identify the beneficiaries under the Basava Housing Schme.

The power to indentify the beneficiaries vested in the Assistant Commissioners so far. The Government has decided to withdraw the power from the Assistant Commissioners and arm the MLAs with the authority to do so, Karnataka’s Housing Minister V Somanna told the State Legislative Assembly on Thursday.

In reply to the question from independent member Shivaraj Tangadagi during the question hour, Somanna said an order issued earlier giving powers to the Assistant Commissioners to select beneficiaries under the scheme would be withdrawn.

The minister said the Government would issue new orders empowering the MLAs with the authority to select the benefeciaries under the Basava Housing Scheme which was launched in 2008-09.

Earlier, Leader of the Opposition Siddaramaiah termed the order conferring the authority of selection of beneficiaries on the as Assistant Commissioners in was a mockery of democratic process. The legislators are answerable to the people and must be given the authority, he said.

Congress member H C Mahadevappa criticised the order as “anti-democratic” as it denied rights to elected representatives in identification of houseless families in their constituencies.

Independent members P M Narendraswamy, Goolihatti Sheker, Shivaraj angadagi and JD(S) members, including Anitha Kumaraswamy, rushed to well of the House, when Somanna first refused to withdraw the order and later relented.

He said there were discrepancies in identification of families by elected representatives. Earlier, houses have been allotted on political lines, the minister claimed.

However, under the centrally sponsored Indira Awaz Yojana, the beneficiaries have to be selected at meetings of gram sabhas and not by MLAs, Somanna said.