Karnataka govt making baseless charges against Centre as it can't fulfil unrealistic promises: BJP
New Delhi(PTI): The BJP on Wednesday lashed out at the Congress government in Karnataka over its claim that the state was not getting funds from the central pool proportionate to its contribution, saying the argument is not only against federalism but also very "anti-national".
Several Karnataka BJP MPs addressed a press conference here on the day Chief Minister Siddaramaiah led a protest against the Centre's alleged discrimination in allocation of funds to the state, with Tejasvi Surya, a Lok Sabha member, accusing him of making baseless and false allegations as his government cannot fulfil unrealistic promised made during assembly polls.
Surya said the Congress had promised 10 kg free rice to the poor before the polls but realised after coming to power that the state cannot procure enough rice and began blaming the central government.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar had reportedly said a few months ago that the state has no fund for development while the chief minister's economic advisor Basavaraj Rayareddy had said the state has to find new ways to get revenue due to the financial burden caused by different guarantees, he noted.
"It is in this context the latest drama in Delhi of the Karnataka government and the Congress has to be seen," the Bengaluru South MP said, describing the protests as "purely political gimmick" as the Congress cannot fulfil promises made in haste and irresponsibly.
He asked Congress leaders to stop their "drama" and go back to the state and work for people's development.
Joined by BJP MPs Pratap Simha and S Muniswamy among others, Surya said the total tax devolution to the state during the 2004-14 rule of the Congress-led UPA was Rs 81,795 crore while it jumped by 250 per cent to Rs 2,85,452 crore during the 2014-24 BJP-led NDA government.
The grant-in aids during the corresponding periods were Rs 60,779 crore and Rs 2,08,832 crore, he said.
"Yet the chief minister prefers to lie and misguide people of the state," Surya alleged.
With the state government citing that Karnataka is among the highest contributors to the central pool but its share of revenue was not commensurate, he countered with the argument that Bengaluru is responsible for 60 per cent of the state's revenue, then why it should not receive the same share for its development.
Surya said Karnataka has been receiving the most FDI and it was also due to the policies of the Modi government.
"This argument is against principles of federalism, principles enshrined in the Constitution and, I dare say, is very anti-national," he added.
"The Congress is the original tukde-tukde party of the country. They were solely responsible for India's partition. The same party is again speaking in separatist and divisive tone yet again today. This is inherent in its dna. People of the country and the state will reject their argument," he said.
Congress leaders from Karnataka led by Siddaramaiah staged a protest at Jantar Mantar here on Wednesday against the Centre over "injustice" meted out to the state in devolution of taxes. Shivakumar, several MPs, ministers and MLAs from the state took part in the protest.
The Congress alleges that "injustice" has been meted out to Karnataka in tax devolution and grants-in-aid over the past few years.
The protesters demanded that the Centre set right the losses to the tune of Rs 1.87 lakh crore allegedly incurred by Karnataka under the 15th Finance Commission.
Surya asserted that the commission arrived at its recommendations after extensive consultations. He accused the Congress of passing off its "figment of imagination" as some proposal of the commission responsible for fixing the share of states and the Union in the central pool of revenue.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
