Bengaluru: Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar expressed his perspective on the proposal to change the country's name from India to Bharat, emphasizing the importance of addressing the citizens' real-life needs.

Responding to reporters' questions about this name change proposal, Shivakumar stated, "The real change can be seen when the people of the country experience improvements in their lives, such as access to food, employment, and housing. Has the people's income doubled in the past nine years? Have they received the promised 15 lakhs in their bank accounts? No. The BJP used to challenge us, saying they wouldn't leave a single grain of rice unaccounted for. But have they fulfilled even one of their promises?" he questioned.

Shivakumar also pointed out that many affluent and large-scale businesspeople are leaving the country. He highlighted that numerous Indian billionaires have acquired foreign citizenships by obtaining passports from other nations, which has resulted in capital outflows from India. He emphasized that merely changing the country's name would not bring any substantial benefits and that the focus should be on transforming the nation's culture.

Furthermore, Shivakumar called for the government to introduce new legislation aimed at improving the well-being of the people. He mentioned that initiatives like the Right to Information (RTI) Act, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), and the Food Security Acts were implemented during the UPA government's tenure, and he questioned whether the BJP had similar intentions.

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New Delhi (PTI): Hailing the Karnataka government's decision to declare its lands in the Yelahanka taluk of Bengaluru Urban district as the Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Wednesday said the Siddaramaiah-led dispensation was demonstrating how economic growth, social development and ecological sustainability could go hand-in-hand.

The Karnataka government on Monday notified 5,678 acres and 32 guntas of land in the Yelahanka taluk as the Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve.

The notification came after the state Cabinet last month decided to declare the grassland as a conservation reserve.

Reacting to the development, former Union environment minister Ramesh said the Karnataka government had been attracting very many new investments since May 2023.

It has also been implementing historic income support, food security and other guarantees, he added.

"Now, it has taken a bold decision to finally declare about 5,700 acres of government lands in the Yelahanka taluk of Bengaluru Urban district as the Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972," Ramesh said in a post on X.

This grassland reserve is critical and, as a large catchment area, will greatly help in groundwater recharge for farmers in surrounding villages, Ramesh said.

It will augment the water supply to Bengaluru city, he further said.

"It will provide a natural carbon sink that mitigates effects of climate change in urban areas. It protects a rich biodiversity ecosystem that includes animals, insects, plants and trees, many of which are under serious threat," Ramesh said.

It will be a safe home for migratory birds arriving from Europe, Central Asia, Himalayan regions and the Arctic Circle, he noted.

"The Karnataka government is demonstrating how economic growth, social development and ecological sustainability can go hand-in-hand, as indeed they must at all times. This is a model for other states as well," the Congress general secretary said.

A notification dated February 24 states that the Karnataka government deemed it desirable to declare the specified area as the Greater Hesaraghatta Grassland Conservation Reserve due to its ecological, faunal, floral and geomorphological significance.

The government issued the notification to protect, propagate and develop the grassland, its wildlife and the crucial catchment area around Hesaraghatta, which serves as one of Bengaluru's water sources.

It clarified that the conservation reserve would not include any 'patta land' or affect existing rights.

The privileges of surrounding villagers will remain unaffected by this notification, it added.