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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Agencies
January 24,2020

Indore, Jan 24: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on Thursday said that he suspected that there were some Bangladeshis among construction labourers who worked at his house recently.

Their “strange” eating habits aroused suspicion about their nationality, the BJP general secretary said at a seminar in support of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) here.

When a new room was being added at his house recently, he found “eating habits” of some of the workers “strange” as “they were eating only `poha’ (flattened rice)”, he said.

After talking to their supervisor and the building contractor, he suspected that these workers were from Bangladesh, the BJP leader said.

When reporters questioned him later, Vijayvargiya said, “I suspected these workers were residents of Bangladesh. Two days after I became suspicious, they stopped working at my house. I have not filed any police complaint yet. I only mentioned this incident to warn people,” he said.

Speaking at the seminar, Vijayvargiya also claimed that a Bangladeshi terrorist was keeping a watch on him for the last one and a half years.

“Whenever I go out, six armed security personnel follow me. What is happening in this country? Will outside people enter and spread so much terror?” he asked.

“Don’t get confused by rumours. The CAA is in the interest of the country. This law will provide asylum to genuine refugees and identify intruders who are a threat to the country’s internal security,” he added.

Comments

Well Wisher
 - 
Sunday, 26 Jan 2020

Koopa Mandooka. illeterates. Do not bother about them.

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coastaldigest.com web desk
July 24,2020

Indore, Jul 24: A woman who sells fruits on a cart and who lashed out at municipal officials here has done PhD in Materials Science. Her siblings too are well educated and sell fruits as they did not find jobs.

Dr Raisa Ansari, who lives at Bakery Street in Pardeshipura with her family said she wanted to be a scientist but did not get a job anywhere.

Speaking to media persons, Raisa said, "I have done PhD in Materials Science and wanted to be a scientist but did not get job anywhere. I sell fruit here but the municipal officials are bothering us. We are being forced to move from here to there like cattle. Our religion may be the reason why we are not getting jobs but we are proud to be Indian. I am still looking for a job."

Dr Raisa's mother Ayesha Ansari said she herself is not educated, but has four children of whom three girls and one boy studied a lot but no one got job.

Speaking to media persons Ayesha said, "I have four children and they are well educated. I have not studied but all my children are educated but did not get job so all of them sell fruits."

"When the matter came to marriage, one of the daughters got married. Raisa and Shahjahan Bi wanted an educated boy, but they were not able to find a suitable match because of their complexion and sometimes they rejected the proposal because of dowry, so both are single. Two of my grandchildren are studying biology. They will become doctors," said Ayesha.

Meanwhile, people in the neighbourhood lauded the family's abilities. They said theirs was an educated family had to sell fruits as they did not get jobs.

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News Network
July 6,2020

Bengaluru, jul 6: With coronavirus cases surging and hospitals saturated with patients, the Karnataka government is setting up intensive care units (ICUs) at COVID Care Centres (CCC) in the state for severe cases needing oxygen, Deputy Chief Minister C N Ashwath Narayan said on Sunday.

Covid Care Centres are usually meant for patients who are asymptomatic or have mild symptoms.

"Initially, 10 ICUs will be set up at every CCC in Bengaluru and in other cities and towns across the state subsequently," Narayan said in a statement in Bengaluru.

The state government has set up CCCs at the GKVK campus, the Haj Bhavan and the Art of Living Foundation campus in the city so far. The government has also set up a more than 10,000 bed CCC facility in BIEC, on Tumkur road, on the outskirts of the city.

"About 100 ICUs will be set up soon at the new CCCs opened at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Ayurveda College, and Koramangala Indoor Stadium," said Narayan.

The sprawling BEIC in the city's northwest will soon have 10,100 beds for treating Covid patients and asymptomatic cases from state-run hospitals.

The state government has also relieved all Health Department employees from administrative and non-medical duties to depute them at the CCCs.

On complaints about the poor quality of food served to Covid patients and the medical staff, Narayan warned the vendors of cancelling their contracts if they did not supply good quality food as per the guidelines.

The minister also directed the Health Department to ensure adequate supply of drugs and medical equipment to all CCCs and state-run hospitals for treating Covid patients.

With a record 1,925 new cases reported on Sunday, the state's tally touched 23,474, including 13,251 active after 9,847 were discharged (including 603 on Sunday), while 372 succumbed to the infection since March 9, with 37 more deaths on Sunday.

Of the total cases across the state, Bengaluru accounted for 1,235, taking its tally to 9,580, including 8,167 while 145 died so far.

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