5000 people set to March "Bengaluru Chalo rally" demanding more funds for North Karnataka on Jan 20
Bijapur: Demanding more funds for the development of the North Karnataka region, Uttar Karnataka Abhivrudhi Sangha has called for a ‘Bengaluru Chalo’ program on January 20.
Informing this at a press conference here, Yasin Jawali, President of the Sangha accused all successive governments of doing injustice to the North Karnataka region by not giving its due share in development.
He said that for the comprehensive development of this region, the government grants more funds and schemes to make the region on par with the South Karnataka region.
“Because of the government’s not giving adequate funds to this region, the region is still facing backwardness in sectors such as agriculture, social, educational, and industries. The governments have kept neglecting this region for years”, Jawali said.
Taking on the elected representatives of this region, he accused them of not raising any voice even after the governments continue to neglect this region.
“The local leaders have kept mum on the issue. They have never stood unitedly in getting the due share from the government, this has led to the region’s backwardness in various sectors. Had they raised their voice in and out of Vidhana Soudha, the region would have got its share long ago”, he said.
Jawali said that since the leaders have failed to fight for the justice of NK region, the Sangha has decided to take the responsibility by holding a mammoth rally demanding the share of funds for the development.
He said that the rally would start from Basavanabagewadi, the birth place of 12th century social reformer Basavanna on January 20.
“Since the program is apolitical, therefore, various organizations have extended their support for the cause. Around 500 people from Bijapur district will participate while a total of 5000 people are expected to join the rally”, he said.
Claiming that members of 12 districts of NK region are going to be part of the rally, Jawali said that around 300 persons from each district are joining the rally.
He said that social media platforms are being used to spread awareness on the matter where 12 questions are being posed to the government on the issue of development of this region.
Annappagouda Desai, Guruprapat, Prakash Rathod and R. D. Vivek were present.
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India should create strategic buffers to navigate 'most difficult' energy shock: CEA Nageswaran
New Delhi (PTI): Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran on Saturday said India needs to create strategic buffers in the face of the "most difficult" energy shock that the country is facing amid the West Asia crisis.
Nageswaran also said the rising prices of fertiliser and petroleum products globally due to the crisis will make it challenging to achieve the 4.3 per cent fiscal deficit target for the current fiscal, while below normal monsoon and pass-through of higher energy prices could lead to "potential inflation spike".
He also said India has employment challenge emanating from AI, and there is a need to ensure that IT sector becomes more competitive and not lose jobs to AI, and instead create jobs that use AI within the IT sector or in other services.
Speaking at the ICPP Growth Conference organised by the Ashoka University, Nageswaran said the current account deficit (CAD) in the current fiscal could rise to over 2 per cent of GDP, from less than 1 per cent in FY'26.
"The ... priority for us is to create strategic buffers. This energy shock is the most difficult one compared to any other previous energy shock in terms of energy lost as a percentage of total global energy supply, not just oil, including gas.
"And we also need to use this occasion to think about other areas where we are vulnerable in terms of import dependence, nickel, tin, and copper. We need to build strategic buffers if we have to make a shot at manufacturing and becoming indispensable," Nageswaran said.
Since the beginning of the war in West Asia on February 28, crude oil prices soared to a four-year high of USD 126 per barrel on Thursday, from about USD 73 level before the war.
Stating that geopolitics will compel policymakers to be nimble and flexible and shed old model of thinking, Nageswaran said India is better prepared than many other countries to deal with the crisis because of the fiscal leeway that the country has due to lowering of fiscal deficit ratio to 4.4 per cent of GDP in FY'26.
Nageswaran said the West Asia conflict is more of a price shock than supply shock for India as the government is managing the supply side deftly.
"This particular conflict, which is going to be on a low simmer or a high flame situation, whatever it is, it is going to be there with us in some form or the other because the military conflict may be over, but the strategic conflict is well and truly alive. It will be so for some time," Nageswaran said.
He said the conflict has four channels of shock: price and supply shock, trade impact, sticky logistics costs and remittance shock.
India imports 60 per cent of its LPG usage and of that, 90 per cent flows through the now closed Strait of Hormuz.
Nageswaran said the pass-through of high global energy prices would have to be a "balancing act". He said some pass-through is already happening in commercial LPG, and the levy of export duty on diesel and ATF.
The government has cut excise duty on petrol and diesel to shield customers from the impact of the rise in petroleum prices. "We are coming around to arriving at a certain modus vivendi with respect to burden-sharing between the fiscal policy side, inflation, households and the oil marketing companies. So it has to be a balancing act," Nageswaran said.
