Cauvery issue: Will release 8,000 cusecs water to TN, says CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Jul 14: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday said the Karnataka government was ready to release 8,000 cusecs of water from the Cauvery river every day to neighbouring Tamil Nadu instead of one TMC as directed by the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee till this month-end.
There is only 63 per cent water in the Cauvery basin dams and in this situation, the state was not in a position to release one TMC water each day, the Chief Minister told reporters after an all-party meeting here.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, Leader of the Opposition R Ashoka, JD(S) MLA G T Deve Gowda, farmer leaders and legal experts attended the meeting.
"Everyone was of the opinion that we should release 8,000 cusecs of water and not one TMC, which is 11,500 cusecs of water. If there is no rain then we will minimise the release of water and file an appeal before the Cauvery Water Management Authority," Siddaramaiah said.
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According to him, the Cauvery Water Regulatory Authority has directed that starting from July 12 till the month-end, every day one TMC water has to be released.
In a normal year, 9.14 TMC in June and 31.24 TMC in July should be released, he explained.
Advocate Mohan Katarki, who was present in the meeting, said this time Krishnarajasagar dam on Cauvery river has only 54 per cent water whereas other dams in the Cauvery basin have only 63 per cent water, Siddaramaiah said.
On July 12, the inflow of water was 5,000 cusec water in Kabini, which was allowed to flow towards Tamil Nadu, the Chief Minister said, adding that 5,000 cusecs water was flowing in Biligundlu on Saturday.
He explained that on July 12, 20,000 cusecs and 19,000 cusecs on July 13 was released for Tamil Nadu from Kabini dam because water cannot be stored for long due to its holding capacity.
Siddarmaaiah said all the parties in Karnataka were unanimous that they should appeal to the CWMA stating that releasing one TMC water was not possible.
"Katarki said we cannot say we cannot release water because it will be disrespectful to the Cauvery Tribunal. We will release 8,000 cusecs. If there is good rain then it is okay to release one TMC. We are expecting good rains this time," he noted.
The Chief Minister said 2023 was a 'distress year' with scanty rainfall.
"In a normal year, we release 177 TMC but last year we released only 81 TMC water," he added.
ತಮಿಳುನಾಡಿಗೆ ಕಾವೇರಿ ನೀರು ಬಿಡುಗಡೆ ಮಾಡುವಂತೆ ಕಾವೇರಿ ನೀರು ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣ ಸಮಿತಿ ಆದೇಶ ಹೊರಡಿಸಿರುವ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಇಂದು ವಿಧಾನಸೌಧ ಸಭಾಂಗಣದಲ್ಲಿ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿ @siddaramaiah ಅವರ ಅಧ್ಯಕ್ಷತೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ಸರ್ವಪಕ್ಷಗಳ ಸಭೆ ನಡೆಯಿತು.
— CM of Karnataka (@CMofKarnataka) July 14, 2024
ಉಪಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳು ಹಾಗೂ ಜಲಸಂಪನ್ಮೂಲ ಸಚಿವರಾದ @DKShivakumar, ವಿಧಾನಸಭೆಯ ವಿರೋಧ ಪಕ್ಷದ ನಾಯಕರಾದ… pic.twitter.com/iuG8zeXGH2
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Why remove Mahatma Gandhi's name, asks Priyanka on move to replace MGNREGA
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Monday slammed the government over its move to change the name of MGNREGA, asking what is the government's intention behind removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi who is the tallest leader not just in India but in the world.
A bill to repeal the MGNREGA and bring a new law for rural employment -- Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 -- is set to be introduced in the Lok Sabha. According to a copy of the bill, it seeks to introduce the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, in Parliament and repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005.
Asked about the government's move, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Whenever the name of a scheme is changed there are so many changes that have to be made in offices, stationery... for which money is spent. So, what is the benefit, why it is being done?"
"Why is Mahatma Gandhi's name being removed. Mahatma Gandhi is considered the tallest leader not just in the country but in the world, so removing his name, I really don't understand what is the objective? What is their intention?" she told reporters in Parliament House complex.
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"Even when we are debating it is on other issues not the real issues of the people. Time is being wasted, money is being wasted, they are disrupting themselves," Priyanka Gandhi added.
The bill aims at establishing a "rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047", by providing a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
The bill has been listed in the Lok Sabha in the supplementary list of business issued on Monday.
Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in the statement of purpose of the Bill, said MGNREGA has provided guaranteed wage-employment to rural households over the past 20 years.
However, "further strengthening has become necessary in view of the significant socio-economic transformation witnessed in the rural landscape driven by widespread coverage of the social security interventions and saturation-oriented implementation of major government schemes", he said.
