Yediyurappa allocates portfolios, Ramesh Jarkiholi gets major & medium irrigation department
BJP MLA Umesh Katti claims he is best suited for Karnataka's CM post
Bengaluru, Feb 10: Four days after the cabinet expansion, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa on Monday allocated portfolios to the 10 newly inducted ministers including Ramesh Jarkiholi, who got the plum major and medium irrigation department, which he was pushing for.
The Chief Minister retained the Department of Public Administration, Bengaluru Development, Intelligence Department, Finance and portfolios not allocated.
According to a government press release, Anand Singh got food, civil supplies and consumers affairs portfolio, Srimant Patil was given textile while K Gopalaiah has been assigned small scale industries.
Byrathi Basavaraj secured the Urban Development Department barring Bengaluru-related civic affairs while S T Somashekar was given the charge of the cooperation department.
The BJP government assigned forest department to B C Patil, medical education to Dr K Sudhakar, municipal administration was given to K C Narayana Gowda and labour department to A Shivaram Hebbar.
The ten BJP MLAs, all defectors from the Congress and JDS, were inducted as ministers last Thursday, with the Chief Minister rewarding them with Cabinet berths for helping the BJP bring down the Congress-JD(S)coalition and come to power in July last year.
"Neither have I asked him nor as he enquired with me (regarding portfolio allocation). I had told him that whatever portfolio he gives me I will perform my duty sincerely.
I got the cooperation department, which is an area I have some experience," Somashekhar said.
Byrathi Basavaraj said he had not exerted pressure demanding any portfolio.
Meanwhile, discontentment started brewing with BJP MLA Basanagouda Patil raising the issue of addressing the regional balance in the cabinet.
"The sentiments of the MLAs should be taken care of.
Many MLAs have spoken to me on various issues highlighting the regional balance in the portfolio for the development of their region," he said.
Two other BJP MLAs--Umesh Katti and Mahesh Kumathalli-- once again made a pitch for cabinet berth.
Katti said he has always been an eligible candidate for a ministerial post.
Kumathalli once again reminded Yediyurappa of his promise to make him a minister when the bypolls were taking place in December last year.
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Karnataka government employees demand return of Old Pension Scheme
Bengaluru: Government employees in Karnataka have urged the state government to scrap the New Pension Scheme (NPS) and bring back the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), The New Indian Express reported.
The demand was made by the Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association, whose leaders met senior IAS officer Uma Mahadevan on Monday and submitted a memorandum. The association asked the NPS Review Committee, headed by senior IAS officer Anjum Parvez, to recommend the reintroduction of OPS in the state.
Association president C.S. Shadakshari reportedly said the review committee has already visited Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana where NPS was revoked and OPS re-implemented. The committee is yet to submit its report, but has told the government it will do so soon.
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Shadakshari allegedly said NPS has been in force in Karnataka since 2006. He pointed out that West Bengal never adopted the scheme, while Andhra Pradesh and Telangana replaced NPS with a contributory pension model.
States including Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and Jharkhand have already scrapped NPS through cabinet decisions or budget announcements.
“Under NPS, 10% of the employees’ basic salary and DA, and 14% contribution from the state is credited to the employees’ fund. It constitutes 24% of the total which is non-withdrawable. This is invested in the share market and the final amount depends on the ups and downs of the market,” TNIE quoted Shadakshar as saying.
As per the report, he said that by limiting its contribution to 14%, the government could save up to ₹1.87 lakh crore annually if all vacancies are filled, strengthening the case for bringing back the old pension system.
