The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Will Kalam's visit help re-ignite his missions for State?

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Aug 21, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Will Kalam's visit help re-ignite his missions for State?

A. Jayaram

On November 20, 2005, he addressed a joint session of the State Legislature and unveiled the `Missions for Karnataka's Prosperity'

BANGALORE: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam will be in the State on Monday for among others to dedicate to the nation the Alamatti dam across the Krishna, which is part of the Upper Krishna Project (UKP).

Besides its gigantic Narayanapur and Alamatti dams, the UKP has the dubious record for tardy implementation. The coalition Government has rightly decided to name the Alamatti reservoir after former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri as it was he who laid the foundation stone for it in 1964. In contrast are irrigation projects, though smaller in size built in record periods, when there was no foreign or World Bank assistance and hardly any mechanical transport or construction machinery. The best example being Krishnarajasagar across the Cauvery whose construction, including one of the canal systems, took less than two decades (1912-1931).The President's visit to the State also reminds the observers of the task he had laid before the State Government about his blueprint for development of Karnataka. On November 20, 2005, he addressed a joint session of the State Legislature and unveiled the "Missions for Karnataka's Prosperity". His visit raises the question whether the State Government has moved in the matter, though it might be too much to expect an Action Taken Report (ATR) from it. Since November 2005, a new Government, though with a common participant (Janata Dal-Secular) is in place in the State.

The only action taken appears to be the reference made to the President's address in the budget presented by Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa on March 20, 2006. The Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry held a seminar on the President's vision document on March 6, 2006. Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Mr. Yediyurappa had attended it. At that seminar, Secretary to the Institute for Parliamentary Affairs M.C. Shanthamurthy presented a plan of action for implementing the President's outline for the State. He had suggested that a Minister be designated to implement the President's missions for the State. Matters have rested there.

Though not setting out a timeframe for implementing the missions, the President had told the legislators to work for transforming Karnataka into a more prosperous, happy, peaceful and secure State. In his "Poverty Radar-Karnataka", the President had said that poverty level in the State which stood at 19 per cent be reduced to zero, development should be focused on achieving higher per capita income and better quality of life, better results required in the areas of literacy, concentrate on formal education and life expectancy, reduce infant mortality rate and increase the net per capita expenditure and safe drinking water to all and provide houses to a large number of people.

About Bangalore and his career as a scientist, the President had noted, "This is my first theatre of action, which gave me the confidence that it can be done in India by Indians." He had referred to his piloting the then Chief Minister S. Nijalingappa in a hovercraft from High Grounds to the Cubbon Park. He no doubt expects the Ministers, legislators and civil service of the State to act on the missions he has set out.

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