Karnataka cabinet ministers finally allocated portfolios; 17-member cabinet has three Dy.CMs
Bengaluru: Karnataka CM Yediyurappa on Monday allocated portfolios to his 17-member cabinet, on a day that also marks completion of his first month as the CM of the state.
Yediyurappa had taken oath as the CM of the state on July 26, and had formed 17-member cabinet more than 20 days after taking oath. Allocation of portfolios was however put on hold which was completed on Monday.
The much sought after post of Dy.CM has been given to three MLAs. Govinda Karajola, Dr. C N Ashwath Narayana and Laxman Savadi will be the Dy.CM I, Dy.CM II and Dy.CM III respectively.
Another important portfolio, Home Ministry excluding Intelligence Wing was given to Basavaraj Bommayi.
KS Eshwarappa was given Rural Development Panchayath Raj Ministry, Govinda Karajol was given Public Works Department along with additional charge of Social Welfare Department, Ashwath Narayan will be the Minister of Higher Education and IT and BT, Science and Technology.
Laxman Sangappa will be the Minister of Transport while R Ashok will be the Minister of Revenue Department excluding Muzarrai.
Former CM Jagadish Shettar is given Large and Medium Scale Ministry excluding Sugar. B Sriramalu was given Health and Family Welfare Ministry excluding Medical Education.
S Suresh Kumar will get Primary and Secondary Education along with Sakala. B Somanna will be the new Housing Minister of the state. C.T Ravi has been allocated Tourism Ministry while also having additional charge of Kannada and Culture.
Kota Srinivas Poojari will get Muzarrai from Revenue Department, Fisheries Ministry and Ports and Inland Transport Ministry. J. C Madhu Swamy will be the Minister of Law, Parliamentary Affairs, and Legislation while also holding additional charge of Minor Irrigation from Water resources Department.
Mines and Geology from Commerce and Industries Department was given to Chandrakantagouda Patil, while Excise was given to H Nagesh. Prabhu Chauhan was made the minister of Animal Husbandry.
The only female minister of the cabinet Jolle Shashikala Annasaheb was made the minister of Women and Child Development, Empowerment of Differently Abled and Senior Citizens.
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Good beginning, talks to proceed: Manipur CM on meeting with Kuki Zo Council delegation
Imphal (PTI): Manipur Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh on Sunday said his meeting with a Kuki Zo Council delegation was a "good beginning" at restoring peace in the state and rebuilding trust between Meiteis and Kukis.
A day after holding the closed-door meeting with the delegation in Guwahati, he told reporters here that "the talk between the Kuki Zo Council (KZC) and the state government for the first time in nearly three years is a really good thing".
"The talks will proceed," the chief minister said.
More than 260 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Meiteis and Kuki-Zo groups since May 2023.
The KZC, in a statement on Sunday, said the meeting commenced at 7 pm on Saturday and lasted around 1 hour and 45 minutes. The interaction was largely an ice-breaking session, it said.
Addressing the media on Sunday, the chief minister said, "In Manipur's situation, the most saddening part is that internally displaced persons (IDPs) are unable to return to their native homes..
"What is of utmost importance for their return is to rebuild the trust between the two communities. How long can central forces keep on guarding the population in some places? What is required is for the communities to forget the conflict and rebuild trust," Singh said.
Informing the reporters that the issue of IDPs of both sides returning to their places featured in the talks, the chief minister added that "at least we need to have a good beginning".
"I would like to thank the Kuki Zo Council for accepting the invitation for talks. We held the talks with the objective of bringing peace..
"My appeal to all is to restore peace and proceed with the concept of forgive and forget. My approach is bringing peace and building trust. There is no demand or commitment," Singh said.
Responding to media queries on the demand for a separate administration, he said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already announced that the territorial integrity of Manipur would remain intact.
As to the buffer zones terminology, Singh said, "There is no buffer zone for the government. During talks, I refer to it as a sensitive zone. Since there is no trust, security forces engage in checking at such sensitive zones..
He, however, asserted that "now is not the time for any kind of confrontation. If we want to bring peace, we must work honestly and more importantly, we must not focus on someone said this or someone said that".
The Kuki Zo Council, on the other hand, said that its delegation raised several key issues during the meeting in Guwahati on Saturday, all of which were attentively heard by the chief minister.
"Prominent among these (issues raised) were the urgent need to de-escalate the ongoing tensions between the Kuki and Tangkhul communities, and the imperative of ensuring justice for the victims of the conflict as a fundamental prerequisite for any meaningful peace and reconciliation process," it said.
The delegation also emphasised the importance of maintaining the sanctity of the buffer zone until a political settlement is reached and stressed the need to expedite a resolution to the ongoing Suspension of Operations talks to ensure durable and lasting peace in the region, the KZC statement said.
"The chief minister, in turn, shared his concerns, commitments, and the steps undertaken by his government in restoring peace and normalcy in Manipur. He expressed high appreciation for the KZC's initiative and its bold step in engaging with him during this challenging period," it said.
