Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday said that although the people of Karnataka were reeling under severe drought, the Union government had not released a single paisa towards drought relief.
He was addressing a gathering at Sindhanur in Raichur district on Saturday, after inaugurating the Timmapur Lift Irrigation project, the golden jubilee celebrations of government degree college, and after laying a foundation stone for the Jal Jeevan Mission project and initiating several development works.
Taking a dig at the Centre, he said: “We pay ₹4 lakh crore as tax. But, in return, the Centre releases only ₹52,000 crore”.
The Chief Minister called on the people to ask MPs from the State on why the assistance towards drought relief had not been released yet.
Mr. Siddaramaiah clarified that the State government would not allow the people to continue in their hardships and was extending the necessary assistance.
Guarantee schemes
“Five guarantee schemes have been implemented in the State as promised before the Assembly elections and this has disturbed the BJP. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had criticised our guarantee schemes and had said that the State would become bankrupt financially by implementing the schemes. But, we proved him wrong. Around 120 crore women have travelled freely in the public transport buses. Around 1.16 crore women have been paid ₹2,000 per month. It has helped them to save at least ₹5,000 to ₹6,000,” the Chief Minister said.
He said that while Sindhanur taluk had 80% irrigation, MLA Hampanagowda Badarli wanted it to reach 100% . He said the State government was committed to make Sindhanur an irrigated taluk to improve the economic condition of the people and is also ready to construct a balancing reservoir at Navile village.
The Timmapur Lift Irrigation project came up at the cost of ₹109 crore to irrigate 36,000 hectares of land in 24 villages in Sindhanur taluk.
Praising Mr. Badarli for his efforts to bring the project to life, the Chief Minister said that Kalyana Karnataka would see more development if all MLAs made efforts like him.
Mr. Badarli presided over the function. Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Ministers Sharan Prakash Patil, M.C. Sudhakar, and N.S. Bose Raju, MLAs Hampayya Naik, Manappa Vajjal, Basanagowda Daddal, Shivaraj Patil and Basanagowda Turvihal, MLC Sharanagowda Patil Bayyapur, Deputy Commissioner Chandashekhar Naik, and others were present.
