Karnataka - Belgaum   

Centre not discriminating against State: Oscar

Staff Correspondent

Karnataka too will get assistance, says Union Minister

Belgaum: Union Minister Oscar Fernandes has denied that Karnataka is being ignored by the Centre.

Talking to presspersons here on Wednesday, he said the Centre had been fair to all States.

He was replying to a question on the release of assistance under the Calamity Relief Fund.

He said the Centre would also consider releasing funds to Karnataka which had been affected by rain and floods. When pointed out that the Centre had announced Rs. 170 crore to Andhra Pradesh without waiting for a memorandum from that State, he said some times the Centre went by the gravity of the situation.

Mr. Fernandes said it was he who had fixed the appointment with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the Karnataka delegation and apprised Mr. Singh of various issues, including floods and the boundary dispute with Maharashtra.

He could not immediately join the delegation, led by Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, as he was preoccupied with a national-level meeting with zilla panchayat presidents and mayors on HIV/AIDS awareness programme. On the Centre's view regarding the boundary dispute between Karnataka and Maharashtra, he said its stand would be made known in the affidavit to be filed in the Supreme Court soon.

Report

The sub-group of ministers appointed to work for peace in Nagaland will be submitting its report to the Centre soon, Mr. Fernandes said.

He said the ceasefire in Nagaland, which ended on July 31, had been extended by another year.The next meeting with the Naga outfit National Socialist Council of Nagaland (IM) would be planned only after submission of the report.

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