Pics: Spoorthi Ullal

Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (ANK)

Mangaluru, Jun 22: MLC Boje Gowda condemned the state government for its failure to take preventive measures on the outbreak of coronavirus in the state.

Addressing media here on Monday June 22, Boje Gowda said, "Prior to corona, certain decisions were taken during the sessions to tackle corona in the state. The present situation shows that the promises made during the session by the chief minister seem to be nil and failed to fulfill the promises. During the session, some of the promises made were providing ventilators, testing centre in every district and so on but the promises have not been fulfilled yet.

He further said, "Chief minister B S Yediyurappa had announced Rs 1,610 crore ex-gratia for the benefit of those who are in distress during the lockdown and that the ex-gratia would bring relief to farmers, flower-growers, washermen, auto rickshaw and taxi drivers, MSMEs, large industries, weavers, building workers and barbers. Unfortunately the compensation has not reached the beneficiaries yet. The government has not done some of the preliminary things and has failed utterly in collecting details of the beneficiaries."

In 2006, the state government had issued an order enabling payment of Rs 200 as ex-gratia to the government and aided teachers in the state. There was an increase in the ex-gratia to Rs 400, the order which was later put on hold from 2008. There are 16,804 government and aided teachers, the government has to pay Rs 38 crore as ex-gratia to the teachers, Bojegowda said.

District JDS president Mohammed Kunjhi, district JDS youth president Akshith Suvarna and others were present.