Vinod M Jain
*Spoke Personally with Poovamma and Other Achieving Athletes; Government to Extend Appropriate Incentives.
*₹46,000 Crore Loss in 177 Drought-Affected Taluks; Relief Sought from Centre.
*Complaint with Evidence on Form 7 Misuse; FIR Demanded Against Those Involved: DyCM.
The cash awards being given to Karnataka’s sportspersons are being reviewed in comparison with other States, and the matter has already been discussed with the Chief Minister.
The revised cash award for sportspersons will be announced tomorrow, Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Revenue, Youth Empowerment and Sports Dr. G. Parameshwara said.
Speaking to the media near the west entrance of Vidhana Soudha,he said efforts were made to contact and congratulate Poovamma while she was in Japan, but they were unable to reach her at the time.
“Within a couple of hours of her return to India, I personally contacted and spoke to her. I have also spoken to several other athletes,” he said.
“Tomorrow, the Chief Minister and I will announce the cash awards to be given to sportspersons by the Government.
We have also obtained information regarding higher awards being offered in other States and reviewed it.I have already discussed with the Chief Minister the need to revise the cash awards in Karnataka as well. The revised amount will be announced tomorrow,” he said.
Central Drought Teams Inspection Across the State:
Speaking about the assessment by the Central drought team, Dr.Parameshwara said the officials have been divided into three teams and sent to different parts of Karnataka.The teams are visiting various districts from October 3 to 6.
Each team is visiting three to four districts and assessing the situation in the 101 taluks declared drought-affected in the first phase,he said.
“The Chief Minister and I received the Central team and briefed them on the drought situation in the State.We also requested them to visit and assess the remaining 77 taluks declared drought-affected in the second phase. Accordingly, they are visiting almost all districts,” he said.
At several places, members of the Central teams have directly interacted with farmers and visited agricultural fields to assess the ground reality.
They have witnessed on the ground the same conditions identified through the State Government’s ground-truthing exercise,he said.
During the district visits, the respective Deputy Commissioners and Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officers have briefed the Central teams on the situation.
The Central team’s assessment is expected to conclude today or tomorrow.It will then submit its report to the Union Government,which will decide on the relief sought by Karnataka based on that report,he said.
*₹46,000 Crore Loss:
Around ₹46,000 crore in losses have already been estimated across 177 taluks in the State.We have sought around ₹10,000–₹11,000 crore in relief and have also placed this request before the Central team,”Dr. Parameshwara said.
He said the Chief Minister and he are considering taking a delegation to the Centre when the final memorandum is submitted.The delegation will once again seek drought relief from the Union Government.
Responding to a question on the recent increase in charges for various Revenue Department services, he said certain fees have been marginally revised in view of the rising cost of living.
“The cost of living is increasing. When the prices of everything are rising, it is natural that charges for certain services are also revised marginally,” he said.
When there is a shortfall in funds due to the State from the Union Government, it becomes necessary for the State Government to strengthen its own revenue sources. Therefore, some charges have been increased marginally, he said.
*Review of Sections 79A and 79B of the Land Reforms Act:Dr. Parameshwara said Sections 79A and 79B had earlier been removed for various reasons, but several representations have now been received seeking a review of those provisions.
“We are examining the matter.After the review, we will discuss it with the Chief Minister. If it requires Cabinet consideration, it will be placed before the Cabinet,” he said.
Drought May Impact GST Collection: Karnataka has consistently ranked second in the country in GST collection.
GST is being collected in accordance with Union Government rules, without any shortfall or irregularity, and the State’s position has been presented at every GST Council meeting, he said.
The Chief Minister had deputed Krishna Byre Gowda to represent Karnataka at GST Council meetings, where he presented the State’s position on all relevant issues, Dr. Parameshwara said.
“The State is now facing drought and crop losses. This will have an impact across sectors. Financial experts have already indicated that GST collections may naturally decline as a result,” he said.
The extent of the impact will become clear in the coming days. The Government has maintained the necessary buffer and is also examining measures to improve GST collection,he said.
“Karnataka is facing a drought of a severity not seen before. Its impact will certainly be felt across sectors, including GST collection,”he added.
Form 7 Misuse,Complaint Submitted with Evidence:
Responding to a question on the complaint submitted to the Election Commission over alleged misuse of Form 7, Dr. Parameshwara said.
They will do their job, and we will do ours.We have submitted a complaint with evidence.We caught the misuse of Form 7 red-handed and placed the evidence before the Commission.”
“How many Form 7 applications can one person submit? Is there no limit? How can one individual submit 100, 200 or 400 applications?”he questioned.
He alleged that people from a particular community were being identified and forms were being printed elsewhere in advance.
Who gave them the voter data? Where did they obtain it from? Names and voter ID details are then entered on these pre-printed forms and submitted.This is against the law,” he said.
“We have submitted all this to the Election Commission with evidence. The Commission has said that notices will be issued to those concerned, seven days will be given for a response,and an FIR will then be registered. They must follow through on this.
FIRs should be registered against the persons we have identified and brought to their notice,”Dr.Parameshwara said.
