Bengaluru, Sep 16 (IANS) Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Wednesday said that senior Congress leaders would hold a meeting to provide guidance to the newly appointed district presidents of the party.
“New district presidents have been appointed and the high command leaders have called a meeting to guide them,” Shivakumar told reporters at Sadashivanagar in Bengaluru.
Responding to a question about the arrival of AICC General Secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala and AICC General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, Shivakumar said the meeting had been convened in this context.
Asked about his three-day tour of various districts from Thursday, Shivakumar said he would be visiting Kalaburagi, Mangaluru, Udupi, Chikkamagaluru and Hassan.
He also said discussions on drought and the Kasturirangan report would be held during the ongoing Legislative Assembly session.
Meanwhile, State Home, IT-BT and e-Governance Minister and Kalaburagi district in-charge minister Priyank Kharge, addressing a press conference at the Ivan-e-Shahi Guest House here on Wednesday, stated that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar will launch development works worth Rs 1,775.41 crore in the Kalyana Karnataka region during his visit to participate in the Kalyana Karnataka Utsav.
Kharge said the Chief Minister would arrive in Kalaburagi by a special flight in the evening and inaugurate the Street Festival at the Public Garden. He would later inaugurate and inspect the works at Appa Lake.
On Thursday morning, Shivakumar would garland the statue of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at S.V.P. Circle at 8.30 a.m. and later hoist the national flag at the Police Parade Ground as part of the Kalyana Karnataka Utsav. He would address the people of the region on the occasion, Kharge said.
At the same venue, the Chief Minister would lay the foundation stones for 557 works costing Rs 1,071.56 crore across the seven districts of the region, including 223 works worth Rs 1,105.63 crore in Kalaburagi district. He would also launch 244 works costing Rs 703.85 crore. In all, 801 works worth Rs 1,775.41 crore would be launched, Kharge said.
Responding to questions on declaring drought, Kharge said drought could be declared only according to the guidelines of the National Disaster Response Fund (NDRF). The state government had urged the Centre to simplify the guidelines, but the Union government had not responded so far, he said.
“This is causing injustice to our farmers. We will observe the rainfall situation for another two weeks, obtain reports from the districts and take further action,” he said.
Kharge said it was the Congress government that had waived farmers’ loans during the UPA regime. He accused the Opposition of unnecessarily agitating for declaration of drought and said they should instead protest against their own Union government and press for simplification of NDRF guidelines to ensure justice for farmers.
On the issue of issuing Scheduled Tribe (ST) certificates to members of the Talwar community, Kharge said the then Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had issued the order after holding discussions with community leaders during the previous Belagavi Assembly session.
“ST certificates are being issued to eligible persons accordingly. There is no confusion in this matter. Our government is resolving, step by step, the confusion created by the earlier Basavaraj Bommai government,” he said.
MLC Tippannappa Kamaknoor and JESCOM Chairman Praveen Patil Harawal were present at the press conference.
–IANS
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