Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB) chairman Ajay Singh and Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister Priyank Kharge have justified the appointment of an MLA as chairman of KKRDB by arguing that better coordination among the Ministers from the region will fill the gap.
When the previous BJP government had changed the rules and appointed an MLA Dattareya Patil Revoor to the KKRDB chairman’s post, which was till then meant for only a Cabinet Minister from the region, the Congress leaders had repeatedly criticised the government for downgrading the post.
Addressing a media conference after Mr. Singh took charge as chairman of KKRDB at its headquarters in Kalaburagi on Monday, they said that they will have frequent meetings of Ministers and the legislators from the region and put forward the collective decisions and demands before the Cabinet.
“The Congress legislators and Ministers from the region have a better understanding of what is to be done for the development of the region. With better coordination among us and commitment to the development of the region, I can say my absence at Cabinet meetings will not be a problem. We will get the work done through the Ministers from the region and the Chief Minister,” Mr. Singh, who is Jewargi MLA, said.
“If a Minister is made chairman of KKRDB, he may not be able to focus on the KKRDB work as he will have his own department as a Minister and a district as in-charge. If an MLA is given the post, he can devote his entire time to the task,” Mr. Singh added.
Admitting that he and many other Congress leaders, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, have strong reservations about making an MLA the chairman of KKRDB, Mr. Kharge asserted that all the eight Ministers and all the elected representatives from the region have a responsibility in joining hands with Mr. Singh and work hard for the development of the region.
“The previous BJP government had reduced the powers of KKRDB. It had snatched the powers of the board’s chairman and members. Now, we are restoring it as we are committed to developing the region. Many scams were reported in KKRDB during the BJP rule. Now, we are probing into all of them,” Mr. Kharge said.
To a question, Mr. Kharge said that it will not be possible to invite Mr. Singh to Cabinet meetings as per rules in force but he could definitely be a special invitee to the meeting of Cabinet Sub-Committee for the implementation of Article 371(J).
To a question on whether the government will be able to release the entire ₹5,000 crore allocated to KKRDB within the end of the financial year considering the money being spent on the implementation of the guarantees, Mr. Singh affirmatively pointed out to the swollen budget size and exuded the confidence in getting the full amount.
“We will have the board meeting before the end of this month. We will consult the Finance Department before making a decision. If the Finance Department gives the green signal for action plans for the entire ₹5,000 crore, we will prepare action plans accordingly. If it suggests a lesser amount, we will follow its directions,” Mr. Singh said.
Legislators B.R. Patil, Allam Prabhu Patil, M.Y. Patil, Tippannappa Kamaknur and Arvind Arali, KKRDB secretary Arnirudh Sravan, Congress leaders Sharnu Modi and Jagadev Guttedar and others were present.
