Vinod M Jain
*It Is Our Duty to Stand by Farmers During the Drought Crisis.
*Officials Must Remain at Headquarters and Discharge Duties; No Delay in Distribution of Fodder Seeds.
*Provide Employment Under ‘VB G RAM G’ Scheme to Prevent Distress Migration.
*DyCM Dr. G.Parameshwara Issues Directions During Video Interaction with Government Officers and Employees*
Deputy Chief Minister and Revenue Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara participated from the Kunigal Tahsildar’s office in the video interaction held today by Chief Minister,D.K.Shivakumar from Vidhana Soudha with government officers and employees across the State.
Speaking during the interaction, Dr.Parameshwara said that he could not participate in person as he was touring Tumakuru district to review drought-affected crops and the drinking water situation.
“After assuming office as Chief Minister,D.K.Shivakumar has accorded priority to taking the government closer to the people and ensuring responsive governance.
All elected representatives must listen to the grievances of the people.The Prajaseva Department has been established in response to concerns that officials are not adequately responding to the public,”he said.
He said the Prajaseva Department has been created to deploy officers at the district and taluk levels to hear people’s grievances and initiate swift remedial action.
“We continue to face several problems in rural areas. Even today, many people are living in huts, and we have not been able to ensure that government benefits reach every citizen directly and fully.
People often do not know whom to approach with their problems. The Prajaseva Department will provide an answer to this.People’s grievances will be heard and addressed from the Gram Panchayat level all the way up to Vidhana Soudha,”he said.
Dr. Parameshwara said the drought situation this year is extremely serious.“Yesterday,I inspected the drought situation in Pavagada,Sira,Madhugiri and Koratagere taluks.
Farmers have spent around ₹40,000 per acre on groundnut cultivation, but there is virtually no possibility of recovering even a rupee.
Arecanut plantations grown on fertile land are drying up completely due to lack of water.In such a situation, it is our foremost duty to stand by farmers in their time of distress,” he said.
He said borewells have dried up in several places and that even newly drilled borewells reaching depths of nearly 1,000 feet are failing to yield water.
“I have personally witnessed these problems and assured the people that the government stands with them.There is also a growing shortage of fodder for livestock.
The Tumakuru Milk Producers’ Union has launched a programme to distribute one lakh quintals of fodder seeds to farmers across the district.Farmers who have access to water can cultivate fodder, and surplus fodder will be purchased from them,” he said.
The Deputy Chief Minister pointed out that the Animal Husbandry Department had not yet called tenders for the distribution of fodder seeds and directed officials to take immediate action without further delay.
Dr. Parameshwara also brought to the Chief Minister’s attention the issue of farmers not receiving crop insurance payouts.
“Insurance companies show considerable interest when collecting premiums, but they do not show the same urgency in releasing compensation when crops are lost. A meeting will have to be convened with the insurance companies on this issue,” he said.
Referring to distress migration in North Karnataka, he said people were leaving their villages in search of livelihood opportunities.
“Funds from the Centre under the ‘VB G RAM G’ scheme are not being received. In the present situation, the State Government itself is bearing the expenditure.
If we provide employment locally, we can prevent people from leaving their villages. We must create work for them and ensure that they are able to remain in their own communities,” he said.
Dr. Parameshwara said there are more than 5,000 rain gauge stations across the State, of which around 2,500 are currently functional.
“Non-functional rain gauges must be repaired immediately, and new stations should be installed wherever required.
The IMD has forecast that the drought situation could become even more severe in September. All officers across the State must treat the situation as an emergency and work accordingly.
Elected representatives and officials must take people into confidence and assure them that the government stands with them,” he said.
He further directed that all officers must remain at their respective headquarters and discharge their duties. “The Deputy Commissioners and Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officers must monitor this and submit reports to the government,” he said.
Dr. Parameshwara also appreciated the Chief Minister’s initiative of forming the Bharat Jodo Sangh. “The Chief Minister has launched the Bharat Jodo Sangh with the objective of bringing the country together culturally and socially.
We must simultaneously address the drought situation and take forward the government’s programmes. The Chief Minister’s initiatives to hear and address people’s grievances at the Gram Panchayat level are a positive development,” he said.
“If employment is not provided to people in Chamarajanagar, where will they go? Providing only 7,000 person-days of employment is not sufficient. Where will poor families go in search of work?.
Employment must be provided under the ‘VB G RAM G’ scheme to prevent migration.Workers engaged under the scheme must also be paid promptly,within seven days. If payment of wages is delayed,merely providing employment will serve little purpose,”he said.
He further noted that Chamarajanagar is a district with a large livestock population.At present, fodder sufficient for about 24 weeks has been stocked,and officials must take advance measures to ensure that there is no shortage of fodder in the coming months,he directed.
Referring to crop insurance, Dr. Parameshwara said that pomegranate crops in Sira taluk had been completely destroyed by unseasonal rains during the summer.
However, insurance claims for the crop loss have still not been settled.This is a problem being faced across the State. There is a need to convene a special meeting with insurance companies to address the issue,”he said.
Dr. Parameshwara said that the Bharat Jodo Sangha initiative is a flagship initiative envisioned by Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar.
The programme has been conceived with the objective of promoting social harmony at a time when society is increasingly being divided on the basis of religion and caste, he said.
He said that one Sangha should be constituted in every Panchayat area with a population of around 4,000. People from all sections of society must be represented in these Sanghas.
Reservation has been provided in the membership structure to ensure that oppressed and backward sections of society are not excluded.
“Panchayat officials must closely monitor the activities of Bharat Jodo Sanghas.National festivals must be celebrated on a grand scale,and nodal officers must ensure that there is no discrimination or disparity of any kind,he said.
Dr.Parameshwara said that schools,colleges and Panchayat premises should be utilised for conducting the activities of the Sanghas.
“This is a flagship programme of the government. If we are spending ₹1,000 crore on this initiative, it is certainly not an ordinary programme.
It will provide young people with an opportunity to address shortcomings and divisions within society. No other State has undertaken the task of creating 10,000 such Sanghas,he said.
He added that instructions have been issued to complete the registration of the Sanghas by the end of August.The programme will be formally launched once the registration process is completed.
