CM promises to narrow north–south income gap, BJP walks out | Bengaluru News
Belagavi: Chief minister Siddaramaiah Friday said his govt will work to remove regional disparities and significantly narrow the per capita income (PCI) gap between north and south Karnataka, even as BJP legislators staged a walkout from the legislative assembly on the final day of the winter session. On a two-week debate on issues concerning North Karnataka (NK), Siddaramaiah delivered a reply spanning over four hours — one of the lengthiest the state legislature has witnessed. “PCI in Bengaluru is around Rs 7 lakh, while in NK it is about Rs 1 lakh. The gap of Rs 6 lakh will be reduced to at least Rs 2 lakh,” he said. The CM said the govt had appointed economist M Govinda Rao to study the imbalance and a report is expected in Jan. “The govt will implement its recommendations,” he said, while promising also to roll out recommendations of the Chaya Devana Gaonkar Commission, constituted to examine the education sector. The panel submitted its report on Tuesday. Siddaramaiah said his govt intends to allocate benefits of welfare schemes to NK based on its population and geographical area. Explaining the rationale, he said, “The state’s estimated population is around 6.9 crore. Of this, nearly 3 crore or 42% live in the 14 districts of NK. Karnataka’s total geographical area is 1.9 lakh sqkm, of which the 14 districts of NK account for 1 lakh sqkm.” He said NK has a population density of 292 people per sqkm, while the 14 districts in the south have a population density of 443. He said: “The state has 224 assembly constituencies of which 97 or 43% are in NK. Therefore, it is our intention that 42-43% of benefits of govt welfare schemes should be allocated to this region.” He said a proposal seeking Rs 500 crore for the development of Kittur Karnataka region on the lines of Kalayana Karnataka would be examined after the Govinda Rao report is submitted. Reiterating allegations against the Centre, Siddaramaiah said Karnataka is yet to receive Rs 13,000 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission, Rs 11,000 crore as tax devolution, and Rs 5,300 crore for the Upper Bhadra project. “The govt has taken all measures to ensure justice to NK,” Siddaramaiah said. “Of the Rs 1 lakh crore spent on guarantee schemes, Rs 46,277 crore or 46% has gone to NK.” However, opposition leader R Ashoka criticised the CM saying: “We expected Siddaramaiah to show us the way, but he led us into the woods.” He demanded a white paper on funds allocated during the UPA regime under former PM Manmohan Singh and said the 11 questions he had posed, including on promises of a textile park in Raichur and a Kittur Karnataka Regional Development Board, were not adequately addressed. Opposition members also objected to the absence of an announcement on a special development package for NK. Siddaramaiah assured the House that a white paper would be presented and invited BJP members to join a Congress delegation to seek justice from the Union govt. However, his non-committal response to a package led to the opposition walkout. Box 1: Per capita income Category District PCI (Rs lakh) Highest Bengaluru Urban 7.4 Lowest Kalaburagi 1.2 Box 2: Guarantees and NK (Rs crore) Scheme Amount Gruha Lakshmi 24,638 Gruha Jyothi (till end of Oct) 6,308 Anna Bhagya 7,848 Shakti (till end of Nov) 7,027 Yuva Nidhi 456 North Karnataka total 46,277 State total 1,06,000 Box 3: Duration of North Karnataka debate Participant Time spent Governing party 7 hours 13 minutes Leader of opposition 2 hours 55 minutes BJP (others) 6 hours 49 minutes JD(S) 1 hour 56 minutes Basanagouda Patil Yatnal 1 hour 4 minutes Total 17 hours 13 minutes
