UNION BUDGET LACKS VISION: CM
Bengaluru: Terming the Union Budget 2018-19 anti-people and anti-growth, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah - who has presented a record 14 state budgets since 1995, on Thursday said it had no vision or direction.
"The central Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley lacks vision and direction. Its proposals are disappointing, as they have nothing for the farmers, the poor and the common man," said Siddaramaiah in a statement here.
Charging the central government of making empty promises to woo the electorate ahead of the next parliamentary elections in 2019, the Chief Minister said the Budget failed to address the agrarian crisis in the country, especially in the southern state, which faced drought over the last three years.
"There is no relief for farmers in distress due to crop loss or declining prices for their produce in the market. The Budget has no waiver on short-term crop loans raised by farmers from state-run banks," lamented Siddaramaiah.
On the National Health Protection Scheme, the Chief Minister said “The health insurance scheme has been announced without allocating enough funds to help the poor and the deprived bear the cost of treatment in state-run or private hospitals,".
The scheme proposes to cover over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families or about 50 crore beneficiaries without providing coverage up to Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation.
"When a similar healthcare scheme, announced in the last year (2017-18) budget, is yet to be implemented, the Ayushman Bharat programme will suffer a similar fate this year," asserted Siddaramaiah.
The Chief Minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, said the Budget had no proposals for addressing the mounting unemployment problem in the country.
"The BJP-led NDA government headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised to create two crore jobs every year, but no word about it in the Budget.
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Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao condemns removal of sacred thread during CET
Bengaluru (PTI): The controversy over the alleged removal of sacred threads and other religious symbols during the KCET examination intensified on Saturday, with Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao condemning the act as "inhuman" and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad demanding strict action, calling it a violation of religious rights.
Reacting to the incident at Krupanidhi College in Madivala, the Minister said the government had taken note of the matter and assured transparent action, even as police have registered a case and initiated an investigation.
“The inhuman act of asking students to remove their ear studs, bangles, hijab or sacred thread, and even cutting long sleeves with scissors thereby affecting their morale is unacceptable and condemnable,” Rao said in a post 'X'.
He asserted that examination centres must test students’ knowledge and not undermine their dignity, adding that the government would take stringent steps to prevent recurrence.
The Minister also urged affected students not to lose confidence, saying the government stood firmly with them.
Meanwhile, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, Karnataka South, strongly condemned the incident, alleging that it had hurt the religious rights and self-respect of the Hindu community.
“The incident of students removing and cutting off their Janivaras during the CET examination has violated the religious rights, culture and self-respect of the Hindu community,” the organisation said in a press note.
Calling the sacred thread a symbol of religious heritage and dignity, it said, “Society will not tolerate any act that insults it,” and demanded a thorough probe and stringent action against those responsible.
It also pointed out that similar incidents had been reported in the state last year, terming the recurrence “unfortunate and condemnable.”
The organisation further alleged that such incidents were damaging the well-being of society and claimed that some schools and colleges are promoting hatred against the Hindu society.
The row erupted after students alleged that invigilators at the examination centre asked them to remove religious symbols, including the sacred thread, during the Common Entrance Test (CET).
Following the incident, an invigilator was suspended and police 'secured' three staff members for questioning.
The CET is conducted for admission to professional courses across the state.
