Karnataka grew at 8% under Congress rule: Chidambaram
Bengaluru, May 8: Betting on the Congress to win the May 12 Karnataka Assembly polls, former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Tuesday said the state grew at 8 percent of the Gross Sate Domestic Product (GSDP) during the last five years of its rule.
"Karnataka's GSDP under the five-year stable Congress rule increased 8 percent annually to Rs 9,49,111 crore in fiscal 2017-18 from Rs 6,43,292 crore in fiscal 2013-14 at constant prices," Chidambaram told reporters here ahead of the crucial poll on Saturday.
Asserting that an average citizen in the state was richer than five years ago, he said the per capita income had shot up 125 per cent to Rs 1,74,551 from Rs 77,309 in 2013 as against the all-India growth of 59 per cent.
"The state has an enviable macro-economic record with average 2.26 percent fiscal deficit while the average revenue surplus was 0.08 per cent."
Unemployment in the state is also lowest among the states at 2.6 percent as against 5.9 per cent at the national level.
Lauding Chief Minister Siddaramaiah for completing a full tenure, the first in 40 years since D. Devaraj Urs in the late seventies, Chidambaram said development and welfare had gone together as evident from 40 per cent spending on the social sector.
"In contrast, the BJP gave the people during its 5-year tenure (2008-13) a weak and unstable government with three chief ministers," he said.
Cautioning the people against voting for the BJP, the former minister said the same incompetent men and women were leading its poll campaign this time.
"No one has forgotten the sad spectacle of 2008-2013. The people gave 110 seats to the BJP. What did they get in return? It was perhaps the worst government in the state's history."
On the twin challenges before the next government, Chidambaram said the first was to maintain the growth momentum and the other was to confront the design of the RSS-BJP set up which was out to wreck the federal system, weaken states and impose its agenda of one history, one culture, one religion, one language and one code of behaviour.
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New Delhi (PTI): Delhi Traffic Police has slapped a fine of Rs 11,000 on a motorcycle rider after a video of him with a woman sitting on the fuel tank of the two-wheeler facing him went viral on social media.
In the video, the man is seen riding a bike without helmet on a busy road during night hours and overtaking vehicles on the road. The woman is seen hugging him while sitting on the fuel tank facing the rider.
According to police, they received the video and after analysing the same, it was revealed that the violators were on an unknown motorcycle, driving without helmets in the night and were seen going towards Bhera underpass.
Due to flashing of light from the back side, the number of the motorcycle was not readable, following which the CCTV footage of the area was checked. Later, it was found that the incident took place between 1 am to 1.15 am on September 15, a senior police officer said.
Police search the CCTV cameras, installed at the whole stretch from Vikaspuri to Peeragarhi. The motorcycle was identified and searched for the owner of the two-wheeler -- Mohammad Mehfooz, a resident of Mohan Garden.
He was prosecuted for driving without helmet, without driving licence), and dangerous driving) on Tuesday, the officer added.
