Probe into Krishi Bhagya scheme 'vindictive': Congress
Bengaluru: The Congress in Karnataka on Sunday termed as "vindictive politics" the probe ordered by the state government into the alleged irregularities to the tune of Rs 921 crore in the Krishi Bhagya scheme, when Siddaramaiah was the chief minister.
Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa had recently ordered the inquiry into the works carried out in the fiscal 2014-15 and 2017-18, chief secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar told PTI.
According to official sources, as many as 2,15,130 tanks were constructed in 131 taluks of the state at an expenditure of Rs 921 crore.
The objective of Krishi Bhagya scheme project was to sustain agriculture round the year in the arid zones of the state and ensure regular income to the cultivators.
However, the state government has doubts over the money spent on this project, and suspects that it was siphoned off, the sources said.
The inquiry has irked the Congress, which called it "vindictive politics."
"The entire governing culture of BJP is based on vindictiveness and digging the past and conducting the so-called inquiry," Congress spokesperson K E Radhakrishna told PTI.
Noting that there was nothing wrong in conducting inquiry if some serious lapses have taken place, the Congress leader cast doubts over the intentions behind ordering the investigation.
"They (BJP) don't have any alternative programme to offer, so they indulge in so-called inquiry activities," Radhakrishna alleged.
He claimed that all the programmes launched by Siddaramaiah such as Anna Bhagya, Krishi Bhagya and Ksheera Bhagya to the extent of almost 80 per cent have reached the beneficiaries.
"The BJP wants to stall all those (programmes) because they are running a morally bankrupt government," he said.
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Telangana CM urges Amit Shah to increase sanctioned strength of IPS officers in state
Hyderabad (PTI): Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Wednesday night and urged him to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state in view of its growing administrative and security needs.
The two leaders also discussed the recent surrender of several senior Maoist leaders before the Telangana Police and other issues.
"During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the issue of Maoist surrenders and their rehabilitation. The chief minister informed Shah that significant improvements in policing have taken place in Telangana over the past two years," an official release here said.
Highlighting that 591 Maoists have laid down their arms and joined the mainstream of society during this period, the chief minister said the state government was providing them compensation and rehabilitation assistance as per the rules.
He requested the Union home minister to extend financial support from the central government for development works in the backward regions of the state.
Reddy also urged Shah to increase the sanctioned strength of IPS officers to the state from 83 to 105 in line with the state's growing administrative and security needs, the statement said.
The first cadre review after the formation of Telangana was conducted in 2016, while the next review, due in 2021, was delayed and finally carried out in 2025. Even then, only seven additional IPS officers were allocated to the state, the chief minister informed Shah and requested that the third cadre review be conducted in 2026 as per the schedule.
Reddy explained that Telangana, like the rest of the country, is facing several modern challenges, including cybercrime, drug trafficking, white-collar crimes, and other emerging security threats.
He highlighted the reorganisation of the Hyderabad, Cyberabad, and Malkajgiri Police Commissionerates, the proposed formation of the Future City Commissionerate and the rapidly growing population in Hyderabad to underline the increasing administrative requirements of the state.
