Prioritise improvement in human development index in Kalyana Karnataka: CM Siddaramaiah
Bengaluru, Jun 14: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said priority should be given to the implementation of complementary projects to improve the Human Development Index of the Kalyana Karnataka region.
The suggestion came as he reviewed the progress of Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board at his home office Krishna here.
He said emphasis should be laid on areas in which we are lagging behind. Emphasis should also be on infrastructure development at hostels, anganwadis and residential schools.
In a statement issued by the Chief Minister's Office, Siddaramaiah said the available grants should be spent on a priority areas. Roads, drinking water, irrigation and other infrastructure should also be prioritised.
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"It is our responsibility to give the necessary approvals from the finance department. The district in-charge minister should review the progress once a month and send the report to the board. District in-charge secretaries should also conduct progress review. Anganwadis, hostels, schools, hospitals should be visited and inspected," he said.
Siddaramaiah also pointed out the need for coordination between district in-charge ministers and secretaries.
He told officials that tenders should be called immediately for the approved works for which tenders have not been called and said they (works) should be evaluated.
According to officials, for the year 2023-24, the largest grant of Rs 3,000 crore has been released to Kalyan Karnataka Regional Development Board (KKRDB). A sum of Rs 2009.53 crore including initial charges have been spent during this period.
Chairman of the board Ajay Singh said this is the highest expenditure incurred till now since the formation of the board.
He further said Rs 2,885.9 crore is currently available with the board. Since the formation of the board, till now, 35,724 works have been approved and 26,418 works have been completed. In the year 2023-24, out of 6,468 works, 136 works were completed and 3,226 were in progress.
He explained that 3,106 works are to be started. Regular progress review of pending works should be done and any bottlenecks in implementation should be removed.
The Chief Minister has directed that the pending 3,528 works should be started by July-end.
In the meeting with KKRDB officials, which was also attended by some Ministers, Siddaramaiah suggested more emphasis should be given to education, health and job creation.
Singh said there is a demand for primary health centres and added that it has been decided to focus on this.
The Chief Minister has directed to submit a proposal for setting up primary health centres as per prescribed norms.
The CM has also suggested focus should be on development of schools in Kalyana Karnataka region under the corporate social responsibility and the administrative departments should sanction the establishment of high school, undergraduate and graduate colleges, he directed.
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41 lakh illicit liquor seized, 1.84 lakh arrested in major drive: K'taka Minister tells Assembly
Belagavi (Karnataka) (PTI): The Karnataka Excise Department has conducted a statewide crackdown on illegal liquor trade over the last two years, resulting in arrests and seizures of alcohol, Karnataka Excise Minister R B Timmapur said on Tuesday.
As many as 1,09,017 people were arrested, and seizures included 13.66 lakh litres of liquor and 27.19 lakh litres of beer, he said in a written reply to a starred question by Harihar BJP MLA B P Harish in the Karnataka Assembly.
The Minister said the enforcement drive covered the financial year 2023–24, 2024–25 up to June, and 2025–26 from July to October, targeting unauthorised liquor manufacture, storage, sale and transportation across the State.
"During this period, statewide enforcement drives resulted in a total of 1,84,570 raids against illegal liquor sales,” Timmapur said.
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He noted that 9,179 non-bailable cases and 91,968 bailable and compoundable cases under Section 15(A) of the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, were registered during the same period.
According to him, there have been no reports indicating that students have become addicted to alcohol due to illegal liquor sales.
The sale of alcohol to minors is strictly prohibited under the Karnataka Excise Act, 1965, and the department has issued periodic instructions to initiate legal action against violators, with strict enforcement and investigation measures in place, the Minister said.
Excise officials are carrying out regular road and night patrols, collecting intelligence, monitoring habitual offenders and conducting raids to identify illicit distillation units, unauthorised liquor outlets and spurious liquor manufacturing centres, he said, adding the department is also enforcing the law to prevent the production, storage, sale and transport of spurious, non-duty-paid and unauthorised liquor.
Regular patrols are being conducted on national and state highways, with suspicious vehicles being subjected to checks.
At the district level, standing committee meetings are held under the chairmanship of Deputy Commissioners, and joint operations are carried out with the police and forest departments to curb excise-related offences.
The department is also conducting awareness programmes through Gram Sabhas and in schools and colleges to educate the public and students about the physical, mental and social health hazards associated with alcohol addiction and substance abuse, Timmapur added.
