Covid-19 gravely affected every sector, but we have to rebuild: Karnataka CM's I-Day address

News Network
August 15, 2020

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Bengaluru, Aug 15: Making special note of his status as a Covid-19 survivor on Saturday, Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa acknowledged that while the virus has gravely affected every sector, there is little to fear from the disease.

Speaking at a comparatively muted 74th Independence Day celebration in Bengaluru, the Chief Minister announced that despite the challenges brought by Covid-19 and recent heavy-rains coupled with drought, that the state was proceeding in its aim of building a “welfare state,” backed by a principle of development.

"Our aim is to build a Kalyana Rajya (Welfare state) with the avowed principle of development as the only mantra. While fighting the global pandemic Covid-19, we are taking giant strides towards realizing Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of building a Ram Rajya and will practice Rajadharma in true earnest,” he said.

In fact, much of the chief minister’s speech revolved around Covid-19, which he described as a “global scourge.”

He called on people not to worry or be afraid of Covid-19 infection. “I too was infected by the coronavirus, and I have fully recovered,” he said.

However, at the same time, he pointed out that the disease had prompted an economic recession, job losses and the slashing of revenue for the government. He also defended the implementation of the lockdown.

“We had to declare a lockdown in our bid to prevent the spread of infection in the early stages of the outbreak. Because of the lockdown, economic and social activities came to a standstill,” he said.

He added that the government had eventually come to the conclusion that lockdown is “not the only solution to reduce the spread of the coronavirus.”

In addition to paying tribute to all Covid-19 warriors, including an assembled contingent of about 50 pourakarmikas from east and West Zones, the CM announced certain relief measures for those affected by the outbreak, including a Rs 3,187 cr relief package for migrant workers, daily wage workers, farmers and those dependent on floriculture, plus those employed as weavers, fisherman, construction workers, hairdressers, dhobis, taxi and autorickshaw drivers.

He also said that 1.31 cr people had been given health cards under the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Karnataka while another 8.5 lakh had been health coverage at a cost of Rs 1,694 cr. “The government has taken all possible steps to ensure quality healthcare for its people,” he said.

Yediyurappa expressed optimism that several schemes and projects would “help people see a ray of hope in this hour of gloom.”

He added that his government has been giving a boost to entrepreneurs through the Industrial Facilitation Act, which he said improves the ease-of-doing business and encourages industrial development in the state. “Not just that, we have been encouraging the youth of the state to develop skills. Along with that, rules have been simplified to purchase agricultural land that is required for industrial purposes,” he said.

These policies were said to have created an opportunity for both farmers and industrialists to mutually benefit from the direct purchase of land.

He described farmers as the first and primary concern of the government. “Along with the annual Rs 6,000 assistance announced by the Union government under its Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi Yojna scheme to all eligible famers, the state gives an additional Rs 4,000 of which the first installment of Rs 2,00 has already been released,” he said, adding that the state was transferring Rs 1,000 cr in first installment to the accounts of about 50 lakh farmers.

He also said that the government had come to the rescue of farmers in distress by buying Rs 3,1765 cr worth of farm products such as green gram, tur dal, groundnut, chickpeas and copra under the minimum support price programme from 5.82 lakh farmers.

Yediyurappa added that the government has made big changes in the co-operative sector, the backbone of the agriculture economy, by giving farmers the choice to sell their produce at a market of their choice. Nevertheless, opposition parties have been critical of government’s ordinances amending land reforms, APMC and industries related laws, calling them antithetical to farmers and the working class.

Infrastructure Developments

Next addressing the matter of regional imbalances, Yediyurappa raised the matter of the backward Kalyana Karnataka region, where he said that airports in Bidar and Kalaburgi had started operations in a bid to draw more industrial investment in the region.

“Work on setting up an airport at Shivamogga has gathered pace. The government has given administrative approval to launch work on the Karwar and Vijayapura airports,” he added.

On Bengaluru

Infrastructure developments will also take place in Bengaluru, the Chief Minister said.

These, he added, include carving out green spaces across 400 kilometers of primary canals, in addition to making new bicycle and pedestrian lanes next the bund. He added that in the first stage, stretching from the historic Raja Kaaluve canal, from Dharamanbudhi Lake to Bellandur Lake will be kick-started with the construction of 36-kms of walking and cycling tracks.

Mentioning the World Economic Forum (WEF) summit in Davos, Switzerland, Yediyurappa said he had canvased 40 multinational companies to invest in Karnataka. He claimed that despite the Covid-19 crisis, that the government had approved 101 industrial projects worth Rs 27,000 crore at the state level.

The subdued Independence Day celebration which wrapped up after the CM’s speech lacked the usual crowds and contingents of marching schoolchildren which marked previous year’s events.

In his concluding remarks, the Chief Minister praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the construction of Ram Mandir at Ayodhya. He added that Karnataka plans to build a Yatrinivas in Ayodhya for devotees from Karnataka who travel there.

Comments

Kannadiga
 - 
Saturday, 22 Aug 2020

Statement from ex CM is Its true and fact. Only a few mentally unbalanced will disagree.
South Indias majorities are always with God's faith no one traitors able to change or divert their mind set.

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News Network
March 27,2024

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Hassan: Former Prime Minister and JD(S) supremo H.D. Deve Gowda has announced that his son, former Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy will contest from state's Mandya parliamentary seat as NDA candidate.

Deve Gowda told reporters on Tuesday that the decision to field Kumaraswamy, who is also JD(S) state president, in Lok Sabha polls from the Mandya seat was taken amid mounting public demand. "People are demanding that Kumaraswamy should contest from Mandya. In the core committee meeting as well, all members suggested that he should contest from Mandya," Deve Gowda said.

The former Chief Minister's son Nikhil Kumaraswamy had lost to independent candidate Sumalatha Ambareesh from Mandya in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

The JD(S) supremo further said that the name of senior leader Mallesh Babu has been finalised from the Kolar seat.

Deve Gowda's grandson and former Karnataka Minister H. D. Revanna's son sitting JD(S) MP Prajwal Revanna will be contesting as the NDA candidate from the Hassan seat.

Earlier in the day, Kumaraswamy in a media briefing indicated that he would contest from Mandya amid mounting public pressure on him.

Congress has fielded Venkatarame Gowda popularly known as ‘Star Chandru’ from the Mandya seat dominated by Vokkaligas. Star Chandru is a close associate of Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.

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News Network
March 21,2024

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Israeli military siege, hunger, and diseases will soon become the main killer in Gaza, says commissioner- general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA).

Philippe Lazzarini, who heads the UNRWA for Palestine Refugees in the Near East, took to X on Wednesday to vent his concern for the growing hunger and spread of diseases as a result of the Israeli siege on the besieged strip.

He said starvation and illness may soon be the main killer in Gaza.

"This fabricated and catastrophic level of hunger can still be reversed by flooding Gaza with food and life-saving assistance," Lazzarini said.

"More than ever humanity requires political will,” the UNRWA chief added.

In a press release on March 19, UNRWA said that “famine is imminent in the Gaza Strip, especially for isolated populations in northern Gaza deprived of humanitarian aid.”

The statement noted that the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC), in a latest food security outlook, concluded that up to 1.1 million people in Gaza are facing catastrophic levels of food insecurity.

“Nutrition screenings conducted in February by UNICEF and UNRWA show that rates of acute malnutrition among children in northern Gaza and Rafah have nearly doubled since January,” it said.

The Israeli regime has accused UNRWA staff of being involved in the October 7 attack by the Palestinian resistance movement Hamas against the occupied territories, prompting a number of its western allies to suspend funding for the UN agency.

On Wednesday, an agreement was reached by US congressional leaders and the White House on a massive funding bill will continue a ban on US funding for UNRWA until March 2025, Reuters reported.

Earlier this year the US, Canada, Australia, Britain, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland, Estonia, Japan, Austria and Romania  decided to cut their funding to the UNRWA, considered a lifeline for the Palestinians in Gaza.

France had also announced that it does not plan a new payment to fund UNRWA in the first quarter of 2024.

Condemning the suspension of funding, Lazzarini had said, “It would be immensely irresponsible to sanction an agency and an entire community…, especially at a time of war, displacement and political crises in the region.”

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News Network
March 16,2024

Mangaluru: In the wake of complaints regarding middlemen menace, sleuths of Lokayukta on Friday, March 15, conducted a raid at the Mangaluru Urban Development Authority. 

The Lokayukta team found unaccounted money and several files, which were not disposed of for a long period.

Lokayukta SP CA Simon said that the Lokayukta has received complaints that middlemen have been interfering in the MUDA office, and files pertaining to the public are not being cleared on time.

A raid that commenced in the evening on March 13, lasted for 18 hours. During the raid, Lokayukta officials found cash in a bag in MUDA office, and also with officials and others. MUDA officials could not inform the source of money found in their office, the SP said.

Further, he said that many people gathered at the MUDA office during the Lokayukta raid, and have raised complaints about the harassment at the urban development authority. “We have gathered evidence for MUDA officials carrying out file disposal processes through brokers on phone calls. The investigation on the MUDA network will be continued,” he said.

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