Karnataka: Taxpayers' money splurged on cars for 12 new ministers

August 3, 2016

Bengaluru, Aug 3: Twelve of the 13 ministers inducted into the state cabinet in June are set to get brand new Toyota Innova cars. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently approved his new ministerial colleagues' request for new four-wheelers. The Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms (DPAR) has placed an order for Toyota Innova Crysta, which costs Rs 19.49 lakh each. The new ministers are said to be not comfortable using the existing cars though they are in a good condition.

innovaThe department will procure a total of 15 new vehicles for the ministers by spending nearly Rs 3 crore of taxpayers' money. The new ministers are so particular about having new cars that none of them is ready to accept Toyota Fortuner that former minister Manohar Tahsildar was using until recently.

Toyota Fortuner is a top-end Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) and is more expensive than Toyota Innova. Except for the chief minister, all the ministers were provided with Innova. But the chief minister gave special permission to Tahsildar to buy a Fortuner as he complained of back pain. The car was bought just three months ago, a source in the DPAR said.

Of the 13 new ministers, Labour Minister Santosh Lad is an exception. He has not sought a new car. Lad, who owns an iron ore mining company, is said to have no qualms about moving around in the old car (Toyota Innova) used by his predecessor P T Parameshwar Naik. Revenue Minister Kagodu Thimmappa, Health Minister K R Ramesh Kumar, Higher Education Minister Basavaraj Rayareddi and Minister for Planning and Statistics M R Seetharam are among the 12 new ministers who will get the new cars.

As per the rule book, new ministers are entitled to new cars from the DPAR. Incumbent ministers can ask for replacement for old cars only if the vehicles have run for more than one lakh km or are more than three years old. Except for the cars used by three members in the 34-member council of minister, the vehicles of all other ministers are in good condition or less than three years old, the source said.

B Ramanath Rai (Forest Minister), H C Mahadevappa (PWD Minister) and Vinay Kulkarni (Mines and Geology Minister) are the three ministers who are entitled to new vehicles. Though Kulkarni became a minister in October 2015, he has been using the old vehicle left behind by his predecessor, the source said.

The chief minister recently bought a new Toyota Fortuner for himself by spending Rs 34 lakh. There was speculation in the media that Siddaramaiah bought the new car after a crow was found sitting in his old vehicle.

Comments

Irshad
 - 
Wednesday, 3 Aug 2016

It is not a big issue 12 cars are lesser than PM's one day's foreign Trip.

Satyameva jayate
 - 
Wednesday, 3 Aug 2016

Our PM uses a BMW..what are laaya kya..any comment....

SYED
 - 
Wednesday, 3 Aug 2016

CAR BHAGYA TO MINISTERS....

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
January 17,2020

Mangaluru, Jan 17: A poultry truck transporting chickens overturned on Friday at Perne village near Uppinangady on Mangaluru-Bengaluru National Highway, killing 200 of them.

Police said that the truck was headed towards Mangaluru from Uppinangady when the truck driver lost control of the vehicle causing it to topple. As many as 200 chickens were killed in the mishap.

Another vehicle was later used to transport the remaining chickens.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
coastaldigest.com news network
July 24,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 24: A government doctor who was turned away by three private hospitals because he could not produce a coronavirus test result passed away today in Bengaluru. Dr Manjunath, who was a frontline COVID-19 doctor, was allegedly turned away by hospitals when he was extremely ill and struggling to breathe.

Dr Manjunath worked in the state Health and Family Welfare department and was based in Ramanagara district, around 50 km from Bengaluru.

D Randeep, a Special Officer with the Bengaluru municipal body BBMP, said that the hospitals that had refused to admit Dr Manjunath would be reported to the health department.

In June-end, Dr Manjunath went to Rajashekhar Hospital in JP Nagar, BGS Global Hospital in Kengeri and Sagar hospital in Kumaraswamy Layout. All three demanded to see his COVID-19 test result but those were still not in at the time, according to his family. His brother-in-law Nagendra is also a doctor with BBMP and in charge of allotting hospital beds, yet he was completely helpless when it came to his own relative.

He was finally admitted to Sagar hospital on June 25 when his family sat in protest on the footpath outside the Dayananda Sagar campus. He was placed on ventilator and later shifted to the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, where he died earlier today. The hospital says Dr Manjunath was discharged on July 9 because he wanted plasma therapy.

Six members of his family, including a 14-year-old, tested COVID-19 positive. Most of them have recovered.

Bengaluru has seen several cases of patients being turned away from hospitals in the city. Hospitals say they need Covid test results to know whether to admit patients in the coronavirus ICU or in the general section and to understand treatment protocol.

Mr Randeep said hospitals have been instructed to admit patients even without such a certificate. Notices have been sent to hospitals that fail to comply. The OPD of two private hospitals was sealed for 48 hours when they refused to admit a patient.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.
News Network
May 15,2020

Bengaluru, May 15: Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Friday said that the new amendment in the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) Act will substantially aid the farmers in getting remunerative price for their produce.

"Our motto is 'First Farmers'. The new amendment in the APMC Act will provide an opportunity for farmers to sell their produce directly to any purchase outside APMC or in other APMCs. This will help the farmers in getting remunerative price for their produce," CM Yediyurappa tweeted.

"Amendment will not dilute the powers of the work of the APMCs. All these marketing activities will be monitored by the Directorate of State APMC. This new amendment Act will benefit farmers in improving their income & suffering from losses due to market fluctuations," the Karnataka CM added.

Yediyurappa further said that the amendment will indirectly help farmers in doubling their income by 2022.

"This amendment will indirectly help farmers in doubling their income by 2022. I want to clarify that we have not removed the APMC Act, we are only amending 2 sections of the APMC Act which enable farmers to sell their produce at the markets where they intend to," he tweeted.

Comments

Add new comment

  • Coastaldigest.com reserves the right to delete or block any comments.
  • Coastaldigset.com is not responsible for its readers’ comments.
  • Comments that are abusive, incendiary or irrelevant are strictly prohibited.
  • Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name to avoid reject.