Loan waiver to be met completely in second budget: HDK

Agencies
January 13, 2019

Bengaluru, Jan 13: Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has announced that he will fulfill his Rs 46,000-crore loan waiver commitment made to farmers "completely" in the Congress-JDS coalition government's second budget that he is scheduled to present on February 8.

The farm loan waiver scheme would be implemented in one stroke with required allocation in the budget instead of completing the process in four stages as was planned earlier, he said, as he took on the state and national BJP leadership for their relentless attack on him on the issue.

Kumaraswamy has come in the line of fire of BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has been mocking the scheme, saying it had only offered a "lollipop" for an insignificant number of farmers.

The JDS leader was also critical of Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh for his reported comment at the BJP National Convention meet in New Delhi on Friday that the state government had promised waiver but was issuing notice to farmers for loan recovery.

Kumaraswamy said notices were being issued by nationalised banks that come under the central government.

"This shows the mean mentality of BJP leaders. This shows how lightly they have taken the issue of solving farmers' worries."

"...February 8. I will present a new budget of 2019-20. We have announced as a cabinet decision that loan waiver will be in four stages, we will not take it to four stages," Kumaraswamy told PTI in an interview.

"We are working out on that. In the coming budget I will be clearing the complete loan waiver. I will not take four years. I want to bring it to the notice of central BJP leaders -- it is not lollipop," he said.

Kumaraswamy asserted that it would be done without violating the fiscal responsibility.

"If an elected government makes up its mind, without violating fiscal responsibility, how it can succeed in implementing its programmes and commitment...I am going to prove it," he said.

"...Without violating fiscal responsibility Act… I'm clearing it completely with allocation for it. In the next financial year, the money that will be released will clear the Rs 46,000 crore loan waiver commitment made," he added.

Seeking to implement a key poll promise of the JDS, the Kumaraswamy government had announced over Rs 46,000-crore loan waiver scheme in July. But it has been bogged down by several issues, particularly relating to nationalised banks.

While defending the time taken in implementing loan waiver, the chief minister said, the state's scheme would become a model for other states in the days to come.

"Today in front of me is Rs 46,000 crore farm loan from nationalized and cooperative banks. I have created a separate cell for this and have appointed an IAS officer to work on this for 24 hours. CMO- my office is monitoring it every day. Our officials are working effectively so that the loan waiver reaches our farmers," he said.

He said guidelines for implementation of farm loan waiver scheme by his government would become a model for any government in future that decides to waive loans.

Noting that till January 11, loan waiver has reached 1,70,000 farmers for which about Rs 900 crore money has been released, he highlighted that in the budget presented in July after coming to power, Rs 9,000 crore was already allocated for loan waiver in the first year.

"By January 31, about Rs 11-12 lakh farmers will get the loan waive benefit," he said, as he pointed out there was much longer delay by various state governments in the past, while it was just seven months since he is in power.

"UPA government had announced about Rs 70,000 crore loan waiver, you can crosscheck how long it took for the money to reach. Many states which came to power before me and announced waiver like -- Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh- you can check how much money has gone till now. It's been seven months for me," he added.

Noting that discussions were on with nationalised banks, and the government was expecting to get some relaxation in the backdrop of one-time settlement plan, he said, out of Rs 9,500 crore loan waiver details of cooperative banks that the state has, some of them were bogus claims.

"With the guidelines that we have, where certain documents need to be submitted, those misusing will be eliminated," he said.

Kumaraswamy said that implementation of farm loan waiver scheme was his "biggest achievement" so far, while highlighting the difficulties in a coalition setup.

Explaining the situation he was in when he assumed office, he said he had to continue implementation of programmes of the previous Siddaramaiah government and face BJP criticism that he had not waived loan within 24 hours of coming to power as promised in the JDS manifesto.

Listing out programmes under implementation like "Badavara Bandhu", a scheme to disburse interest-free loans to street vendors and small traders, and the Israel model of farming, Kumaraswamy said, "I have other plans too for the next budget."

Comments

Suresh
 - 
Sunday, 13 Jan 2019

Forget small small issues made by oppurtunists and bjp people. Concentrate on your service. People with you HDK. You will complete your term

Sandesh Shetty
 - 
Sunday, 13 Jan 2019

HDK knew what to be done for people. All the best

Mohan
 - 
Sunday, 13 Jan 2019

HDK doing great. Feku just boasting and blabbering. 

Vinod
 - 
Sunday, 13 Jan 2019

Kamal nath did loan waiving. Then what complication with other govts for doing the same

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News Network
February 21,2020

Mangaluru, Feb 21: Police officials including the Mangaluru city Commissioner of Police P S Harsha would be summoned to appear before the panel conducting a magisterial probe into December 19, 2019 firing on anti-CAA protesters in the city which left two people dead.

Notices would be served on 176 police officers and staff to appear for hearing, Udupi deputy commissioner G Jagadeesha, conducting the magisterial probe into the incident said here on Thursday.

He told reporters that officials, including the city police commissioner Harsha, would be summoned to depose on the violence which led to police firing that killed two people.

Mangaluru (North) Assistant Commissioner K U Belliappa, who is the nodal officer for the police department, has given a list of 176 policemen who are ready to adduce evidence in the hearing.

The police officers would be summoned in phases.

The next hearing is on February 25.

He said so far, 203 members of the public have deposed before him on the incident.

Former city Mayor K Ashraf, who is under treatment in hospital, has also provided a written statement.

The remaining members of the public can provide evidence during next hearings, he said.

On December 19, two people were killed in police firing as protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) turned violent here.

The protesters had attempted to besiege the Mangaluru north police station and tried to attack police personnel, following which force was used to disperse them, police had said.

Two people received bullet injuries in the firing and they later succumbed at a hospital, the police had said.

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News Network
July 3,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 3: The Karnataka government is allowing select asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic Covid-19 patients to recuperate at home as part of home isolation guidelines, an official said on Friday.

"Only those who are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic shall be allowed to be in isolation at home," said a health official, highlighting that such patients should be properly oriented on home isolation.

However, before home isolation, a health team will visit the patient's house and assess its suitability for executing home isolation.

Similarly, the patient should be provided with a tele-consultation link for initial triage, daily follow up and during the entire home isolation time.

For a daily update, the patient isolated at home should give a report on his health status to the physician or health authorities.

"The home isolation shall be with the knowledge of the family members, neighbours, treating physician and local health authorities," said the official.

Though home isolation is allowed, it is not a blanket permission for all asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic cases in Karnataka to avail.

"Such cases should have the requisite facility at their residence for self-isolation and also for quarantining the family contacts. A care giver should be available to provide care on 24x7 basis," said the official.

Likewise, the caregiver should also have a regular communication link between him and the hospital during the home isolation.

No patient above 50 years will be allowed to avail home isolation.

"If the patient has the following comorbidities: hypertension, diabetes, obesity, thyroid disease, they shall be well managed and under good clinical control as assessed by medical officer," he said.

However, patients with comorbidities such as kidney diseases, dialysis, heart diseases, stroke, tuberculosis, cancer and HIV cannot avail home isolation.

Likewise, immunity compromised patients and those on steroids also cannot be on home isolation.

Though pregnant women are not allowed to avail this facility, lactating women are allowed after due instruction and assessment.

The Health Department has also issued several other guidelines and protocols for a patient choosing home isolation.

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News Network
March 11,2020

Bengaluru, Mar 11: The move by rebel ruling Congress MLAs in Madhya Pradesh to trigger the crisis for the party's government in the state appears to have been in the making for at least close to a month as Karnataka BJP leaders were sounded about hosting them in Bengaluru in advance, sources said.

They also indicated that the 19 rebel MLAs would stay in the city for at least two weeks till an alternative government takes charge in Madhya Pradesh.

A senior Karnataka BJP leader, in charge of the Madhya Pradesh legislators' stay in Bengaluru, received a communication from the party's central leaders about the move nearly 15-20 days ago, the sources involved in the development said on condition of anonymity on Tuesday.

The leader had even gone to New Delhi in the third week of February to meet BJP's central leaders in this regard, they said.

In a massive setback for the Congress, its prominent youth leader Jyotiradtya Scindia quit the party and in a coordinated rebellion on Tuesday 21 MLAs loyal to him resigned in Madhya Pradesh, pushing the 15-month-old Kamal Nath government to the brink of collapse.

As many as 19 Madhya Pradesh MLAs, including six ministers, said to be loyalists of Mr Scindia who appeared set to join BJP, are camping at a resort in Bengaluru. Two of them are women, the sources said.

The MLAs on Tuesday sent their resignation letters via e-mail to Raj Bhavan in Bhopal from Bengaluru.

According to the sources, eight legislators, including an independent, have been staying in the city for about a week now. Of them two - one from Congress and the other an independent MLA - had gone back.

The six were joined by 13 legislators, who landed in the city by a chartered flight on Monday, and all of them are put up in a villa.

The senior Karnataka BJP leader, also an MLA, is looking after their stay and related arrangements on the directions of the party high command, the sources said. Their stay here may be for a couple of weeks.

"There will be a no-confidence motion, and then there will be a trust vote of the new alternative government that will be formed. So they may have to stay here for some time. They may be moved out of their current location," they said.

The Madhya Pradesh legislature session is expected to begin on March 16.

The sources also said the six legislators staying in the city since last week were shifted a couple of times within the city.

Congress in Madhya Pradesh, under the leadership of Kamal Nath, had come to power in December 2018 by ousting the BJP by a narrow margin.

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