No proposal to cut petrol prices in state: Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai
Bengaluru, Aug 17 (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Tuesday said there was no proposal before the government to cut petrol prices in the state on the lines of neighboring Tamil Nadu.
"There is no such proposal," Bommai said in response to a question by reporters, about any proposal to cut petrol prices like in Tamil Nadu.
Tamil Nadu Finance Minister Palanivel Thiaga Rajan, presenting his maiden budget to the Assembly on Friday had said that the government has decided to cut tax on petrol by Rs three per litre.
Following this Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in Karnataka assembly Siddaramaiah had urged Chief Minister Bommai to cut the price of both petrol and diesel in the state.
Responding to a question on reports that COVID negative certificates are being issued in exchange for money at testing camps, the CM said, "It has come to my notice, I will give directions to officials whether it is in railway stations or bus stands who ever is doing it- to take action against them and stop such things." He said, those who have been given such negative certificates, will be made to undergo tests once again.
Noting that he is reviewing the work of Higher Education, PWD and Housing departments today, Bommai said accelerating the development of the state is his main objective.
"Infrastructure development will give a push to economic activities, also social and economic life of poor has to get improved, keeping this in mind I have begun my work," he said pointing out at various programmes announced by him on the Independence Day.
The Chief Secretary has been given directions to ensure speedy implementation of programmes, he said, adding that officials have been asked to function in a way that government's initiatives reach the people in a shortest time.
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BJP stages walkout in Karnataka assembly over 'non-disbursal' of Gruha Lakshmi payout
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The opposition BJP on Wednesday staged a walkout from the Karnataka assembly protesting the alleged "non-disbursal" of two months' installments to 1.26 crore beneficiaries under a woman's assistance scheme of the state government.
The protest followed a heated debate in which the opposition accused the state government of providing "misleading" information regarding the payment status of the flagship Gruha Lakshmi scheme.
The saffron party members trooped into the well of the House and raised slogans, leading to the adjournment of the proceedings of the House for over an hour.
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The Gruha Lakshmi guarantee scheme is one of the five pre-poll promises of the ruling Congress. It provides Rs 2,000 monthly to women heads of the Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.
The BJP legislators accused Woman and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar of having "misled" the House by giving false information to BJP MLA Mahesh Tenginkai that all the instalments till August have been paid under the scheme.
The opposition charged that the installments for the months of February and March this year were not paid.
The BJP MLAs' grouse was that they had been demanding an explanation from the Minister for the past three days, but she never turned up to provide information.
As soon as the session started, the opposition members trooped into the well of the House demanding the Minister's presence, which led to the adjournment.
When the members assembled again, the Minister replied that this is a unique flagship programme of the Congress government, which is a model for all the states.
Hebbalkar said she always strived to ensure that this scheme is implemented religiously.
"However, when I checked, I noticed that two months' installments were not paid to the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). If my reply has hurt anyone, then I express my regret," she said.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who came to the defence of Hebbalkar, said the BJP should apologise for the lie in the Union Budget.
"Despite the Union Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announcing Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra Irrigation Project in the budget, the money was not given to Karnataka. You should question that as well," Shivakumar underlined.
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To this, Leader of Opposition in the assembly R Ashoka said the matter was raised because not only were the BJP members hurt but also the 1.26 crore beneficiaries who were eagerly waiting for the money.
Demanding that the lie be expunged from the House records, he insisted on a date for when the backlog will be paid to the beneficiaries.
The Minister said she was apologising for giving a wrong reply, but she was peeved at the way a woman was targeted in the House.
Objecting to this statement, BJP MLA S Suresh Kumar asked her to refrain from playing victim card and bring up the issue of gender, caste and religious discrimination as it was a matter related to 1.26 crore people.
Ashoka and the BJP MLAs then staged a walkout, saying the Minister's reply was not satisfactory.
