Daijiworld Media Network – Shimoga/Bhadravati (NR)

Shimoga, Jun 30: Deputy chief minister B.S. Yediyurappa was here to study the problems of the State-owned Mysore Paper Mills on Friday, June 29, 2007.

Talking to newspersons he stated that one more installment of Rs. 500 crore meant for the waiver of agricultural loan obtained through cooperative institutions would be released the day after the budget proposal on this is passed by the Legislature.

As promised by the Government in its budget, two installments — one Rs 500 crore and the other Rs 250 crore — had been released towards the loan waiver he stated.

Answering a question on whether the agricultural loan was proposed to be waived further as was reportedly hinted by chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, he firmly stated that no such fresh promises will be made, unless what had been promised in the budget was fulfilled.

Yediyurappa who holds the additional portfolio of excise requested Stree Shakthi Groups and the heads of religious institutions to cooperate with the government to ensure the effective implementation of the ban. According to him from July 1 the ban on the sale of arrack would be strictly enforced. He added that only after effectively banning sale of lottery tickets the government had embarked upon this.

This move to enforce ban on lottery and arrack, he said was meant to silence the opposition parties, which had alleged that the government implemented the mid-day meal scheme for schoolchildren with money generated through the sale of lottery tickets and arrack.