Eviction row: Govt considering rehabilitating genuine locals, says Deputy CM Shivakumar
Bengaluru (PTI): As the demolition of "illegal houses" at Kogilu in north Bengaluru triggered a political row, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday said the state government is considering rehabilitating genuine locals who were evicted.
He said Chief Minister Siddaramaiah would convene a meeting on the issue on Monday.
The houses at Kogilu's Waseem Layout and Fakir Colony were demolished on December 20 by Bengaluru Solid Waste Management Limited to clear encroachments for a proposed solid waste processing unit, officials said claiming that the houses were constructed without any official permission, and most of the occupants were migrants from other states.
"....our officials had given proper notice (before demolition). We are ready to rehabilitate those people if they are genuine and if they are local people. We will do whatever the best help we can under the Rajiv Gandhi housing scheme," Shivakumar, who is also the Minister in-charge of Bengaluru development said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has called a meeting tomorrow on the eviction issue.
State Housing Minister B Z Zameer Ahmed Khan, who visited the locality, also said the CM and Deputy CM have called a meeting on this matter on Monday, where a decision may be taken regarding providing alternative arrangements to the people whose houses have been demolished.
"We can expect some good news," he said, adding that notices were served and temporary arrangements were also made for their shelter, but the people were not ready to move, as they feared they would be left nowhere.
The demolition sparked a political controversy after Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan criticised the drive, calling it a "brutal normalisation of the bulldozer raj".
After Vijayan's statement, AICC General Secretary K C Venugopal said he has spoken to CM Siddaramaiah and Deputy CM D K Shivakumar and conveyed the party's concerns that such actions (demolition) should be undertaken with far greater caution, sensitivity, and compassion, keeping the human impact at the centre.
Meanwhile, accusing Venugopal of interfering in Karnataka's administration, the opposition BJP on Sunday asked whether he is "super CM" of the state.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly R Ashoka said Karnataka deserves respect, autonomy, and honest governance, not high-command "theatrics".
"Karnataka is not a colony of Rahul Gandhi and his coterie."
"Who is K C Venugopal to “intervene” in the administration of Karnataka? Is he a Super CM, or does the Congress high command believe elected state governments function on Delhi diktats?" he asked.
Venugopal's comments have drawn flak from other opposition leaders and social media users.
Reacting to BJP's criticism against the Congress leader, Shivakumar clarified that Venugopal has not interfered in the administration of the state in any way.
"Venugopal as a General Secretary of the party has power to advise us -- that if anything is there we should go in a larger interest," he said, questioning whether BJP in-charges and offices haven't advised their government while that party was in power.
Minister Zameer Ahmed Khan, responding to a question from reporters, accused Kerala CM of "engaging in politics" over the demolition issue, keeping upcoming polls for Kerala assembly in mind.
Some political leaders and organisations from Kerala too, have visited the demolition site, which is being seen as "minority vote bank politics" by politicians from the neighbouring state, as most of the affected are said to be Muslims.
Kerala MLA K T Jaleel, who visited the spot said, if the houses were illegal, how did they get voter id, electricity connection, Aadhar card and other things.
He said, "there is no difference between Congress and BJP....people have said they have not got any notice before demolition. Government should take steps to rehabilitate affected people at alternate places."
Number of affected families have stood their ground and have refused to move from the vicinity, despite their houses being demolished, sources said.
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'Made in India' must become symbol of excellence, global competitiveness: PM
New Delhi (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost 'ease of doing business' and strengthen the services sector to make India a global services giant.
Addressing the 5th National Conference of Chief Secretaries here, Modi emphasised the need for quality in governance, service delivery and manufacturing, and said the label 'Made in India' must become a symbol of excellence and global competitiveness.
He said India has the potential to become the world's food basket and the country must move towards high-value agriculture, horticulture, animal husbandry, dairying and fisheries to become a major food exporter.
"Called upon states to encourage manufacturing, boost 'Ease of Doing Business' and strengthen the services sector. Let us aim to make India a Global Services Giant," Modi said in a series of posts on X.
The theme of the three-day conference, which began on December 26, was 'Human Capital for Viksit Bharat'.
Modi observed that this conference marks another decisive step in strengthening the spirit of cooperative federalism and deepening Centre-State partnership to achieve the vision of a 'Viksit Bharat'.
Highlighting India's demographic advantage, he said nearly 70 per cent of the population is in the working-age group, creating a unique historical opportunity which, when combined with economic progress, can significantly accelerate the journey towards a 'Viksit Bharat', according to an official statement.
Modi said India has boarded the "Reform Express", driven primarily by the strength of its young population, and empowering this demographic remains the government's key priority.
He noted that the conference is being held at a time when the country is witnessing next-generation reforms and steadily moving towards becoming a major global economic power.
Underlining the need to strengthen 'atmanirbharta' (self-reliance), he said India must pursue self-reliance with zero defect in products and minimal environmental impact, making the label 'Made in India' synonymous with quality and strengthening the commitment to "zero effect, zero defect".
The PM urged the Centre and states to jointly identify 100 products for domestic manufacturing to reduce import dependence and strengthen economic resilience in line with the vision of 'Viksit Bharat'.
In higher education, too, he said, there is a need for academia and industry to work together to create high-quality talent.
He highlighted that India has a rich heritage and history with the potential to be among the top global tourist destinations.
Modi urged the states to prepare a roadmap for creating at least one global-level tourist destination and nourishing an entire tourist ecosystem.
He said it is important to align the national sports calendar with the global sports calendar.
"India is working to host the 2036 Olympics. India needs to prepare infrastructure and sports ecosystem at par with global standards," he said.
The prime minister said the next 10 years must be invested in the states, only then will India get the desired results in such sports events.
Every state must give this top priority and create infrastructure to attract global companies, he said.
In the services sector, Modi said, there should be greater emphasis on other areas like healthcare, education, transport, tourism, professional services and artificial intelligence, etc. to make India a global services giant.
He said India will soon be launching the National Manufacturing Mission (NMM).
States should work in tandem with the discussions and decisions emerging from the conferences of both chief secretaries and DGPs to strengthen governance and implementation.
The PM said similar conferences could be replicated at the departmental level to promote a national perspective among officers and improve governance outcomes in pursuit of a 'Viksit Bharat'.
In conclusion, he said every state must create a 10-year actionable plan based on the discussions of this conference with one, two, five and 10-year target timelines wherein technology can be utilised for regular monitoring.
The conference featured a series of special sessions that enabled focused deliberations on cross-cutting and emerging priorities.
It marks another important milestone in strengthening the Centre-State partnership through structured and sustained dialogue on national development priorities, according to the statement.
The PM's principal secretaries P K Mishra and Shaktikanta Das, Cabinet Secretary T V Somanathan, members of the NITI Aayog, chief secretaries of all states and Union territories, and domain experts attended the meeting.
Anchored in the prime minister's vision of cooperative federalism, this conference serves as the forum where the Centre and states collaborate, designing a unified roadmap to maximise India's human capital potential and accelerate inclusive, future-ready growth.
It has been organised annually over the past four years.
The first conference was held in Dharamshala in June 2022, followed by subsequent conferences in New Delhi in January 2023, December 2023 and December 2024.
