Minister Anjaneya not averse to permitting more liquor shops in villages
 
From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore
 
Bangalore, Jun 22: With owners of roadside grocery shops, tea shops, petrol bunks and petty shops openly selling Indian made liquor (IML) illegally at higher prices following denial of permission to open liquor shops in small towns and hoblis, Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya feels the problem can be tackled by granting permission for opening more liquor shops in small towns and rural areas.

''This is the only viable solution to check the illegal sale and production of spurious liquor,”  he said speaking to reporters in Bangalore on Saturday.

Opening more liquor shops in small towns and rural areas would help in increasing the excise revenue and also checking the manufacture and sale of spurious liquor, which is harmful to the people, he said.

The minister, however, clarified that he was voicing his ''personal opinion” and made it clear that he would abide by the Government’s decision.
 

Countrywide Prohibition Best Option
 
Coming from the rural background and dalit community, Anjaneya said he was aware of the problems of the rural areas and felt the poorer and labour class people were drinking liquor after a hard day’s labour as they did not have any other entertainment in the rural areas. ''These are the hard realities, which cannot be denied,” he said.

He felt opening of more shops would help to check illegal sale of liquor or illicit liquor in tea-shops, petrol pumps and grocery shops at higher prices

The minister felt prohibition of alcohol in the state would not be successful unless in it was done countrywide.

Prohibition in one state would lead to illegal movement of liquor from other states.

In the interest of health of people, he was in favour of country-wide prohibition as had been advocated by Mahatma Gandhiji, the minister said.
 

Survey of SC/ST Land Holding
 
The Congress Government has proposed to conduct a survey small land holding households belonging to Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes in the State to provide irrigation facility to lands through sanctioning of borewells under the Ganga Kalyana scheme.

The minister said only a few SC/ST families benefited under various schemes so far.

A survey would be conducted to provide benefits to all SC/ST land holding households. The department would sanction borewells, IP sets and power connections to IP sets at a time.

Applicants need not run from pillar to post in the State Secretariat seeking sanctioning letters from authorities, he said.

Electricity connection was not given to 31,000 IP sets sanctioned under the Ganga Kalyana scheme.

The department has decided to give electricity to these pumpsets in the next one year, he said.
 

Funds Sanctioned to Maths Won’t Be Blocked
 
The Congress Government, which was critical of the release of funds to maths, has decided not to block funds sanctioned to various maths by the previous BJP Government.

Anjaneya said the BJP government had sanctioned funds for several maths during its rule. Now, some temples and maths have received a portion of sanctioned funds.

The Congress government has decided to release full amount of funds sanctioned by the previous BJP government, he said.

Asked whether any math has submitted a proposal seeking allocation of funds in the budget, the Minister said he had not received any such proposal.

In fact, no math had sought money from the government. The BJP government on its own sanctioned funds to maths, the minister claimed.