Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has said the Congress government will continue with the guarantee schemes, and people need not heed the comments of Opposition leaders that suggest the schemes will end after the polls.
Addressing the gathering of beneficiaries of guarantee schemes in Shivamogga on February 24, Mr. Shivakumar said the five guarantee schemes that the Congress party promised ahead of the Assembly elections, were like five fingers. “The five fingers strengthened the hand, the symbol of the Congress party. We will continue the schemes not only for the remaining four years of the term but also for the five years of the next term, when party comes back to power,” he said, exuding confidence in winning in the next assembly polls.
Referring to former minister and BJP MLA Araga Jnanendra’s statement in which he referred to the schemes as “420 guarantee schemes,” doubting their implementation, Mr. Shivakumar commented that the BJP leader had no sense. “When in power, the BJP people did not offer any schemes for the people,” he said.
School adoption
The deputy Chief Minister said the State Government had decided to upgrade rural schools with the help of CSR funds. A committee had been constituted under his leadership. “Each school will get up to ₹5 crore through CSR funds. The private companies will adopt the government schools and develop them completely. We will set a model for the entire nation,” he said.
Further on the land issues bothering the people displaced due to the Sharavathi Valley Hydroelectric Project, Mr. Shivakumar said the government would not allow the eviction of any farmer in the state. “I am instructing all officers of the Forest Department that we will not allow any farmer to be evicted from his land,” he said.
Minister for School Education Madhu Bangarappa, legislators Belur Gopalakrishna, Sharada Puryanaik, and senior officers of the district administration were present at the programme. The district administration had made arrangements to bring beneficiaries from different parts of the district. A few beneficiaries had the opportunity to share how the guarantees benefited them.
