Congress government in Karnataka stands robust and stable: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Apr 8: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday asserted that the Congress government headed by him in the state stands "robust" and "stable".
Hitting out at the opposition BJP leaders, he said it appears that it is their "intellect" that is facing "bankruptcy", not the state.
"Do not embarrass yourselves by lying every day and then manufacturing more falsehoods to defend them when they are exposed," Siddaramaiah said in a statement aimed at the BJP.
Accusing the saffron party of "blabbering" about the state going bankrupt because of a loan of Rs 10,000 crore in the April-June quarter last year, he suggested that they examine the debt records of the previous BJP government's tenure.
Elaborating further, Siddaramaiah alleged that during the financial year 2020-21, BJP’s Basavaraj Bommai as chief minister had taken a loan of Rs 84,528 crore.
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The following year, 2021-22 saw an additional borrowing of Rs 67,332 crore, and in 2022-23, the loan amount reached Rs 72,000 crore, Siddaramaiah said.
"To repay this debt, Rs 43,580 crore was spent in 2022-23. Consequently, the responsibility to settle these debts now falls on us," he said.
"Shouldn't you at least ask your own Bommai before making allegations against our government?," Siddaramaiah asked.
The chief minister said that from the time of independence until 2018, the total debt of the state government was Rs 2.42 lakh crore, but in the five years from 2018 to 2023, this debt increased to Rs 5.40 lakh crore.
"Within a span of five years, the state's debt surged by Rs three lakh crore. BJP Karnataka should introspect about this and kindly inform the public about the party responsible for the debt increase," he said.
Slamming the BJP leaders, he said it seems that governance, economy, and development are not their cup of tea and alleged that they excel only in filling people's minds with "Hindu-Muslim, communalism, Pakistan, and Muslim League issues, causing strife among peacefully coexisting communities for political gain".
"The people of the state know who is ‘Sullu (lie) Ramaiah’ and who is ‘Satya (true) Ramaiah’. They will accordingly answer you in this election," he added.
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13 lakh litres of 'Rail Neer' supplied to train passengers daily: Government
New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.
Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.
"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.
"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country
"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.
"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.
Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.
"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.
"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.
