C.M. Udasi

Bangalore: The State Government on Thursday yielded to the demand of members of both the ruling parties and the Opposition in appointing them as chairmen of Ashraya housing committees in their respective Assembly constituencies.

Replying to a nearly three-hour-long discussion on the Karnataka Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill 2007, Minister for Rural Development and Panchayati Raj C.M. Udasi said the Government had set a target of building six lakh houses for the economically weaker sections during the current year and work was in progress.

However, only 1.7 lakh beneficiaries had been identified so far, and this was largely due to the confusion and chaos that prevailed in the grama sabhas which were expected to identify them.

He said of every 100 beneficiaries identified there were complaints against at least 50 per cent of the selection on the grounds that some powerful people in the grama sabhas had themselves prepared the list of beneficiaries.

Such selection of beneficiaries had also resulted in criminal cases being registered following fisticuffs in the grama sabhas.

The Karnataka Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Bill 2007 seeks to amend the powers vested with the grama sabhas in the selection of beneficiaries for various welfare schemes of the Government, including the housing scheme. The Government has stated that the grama panchayats have not been functioning effectively and this had affected the implementation of the welfare programmes.

"Hence, it is considered necessary to make a provision for constitution of Ashraya committees to select the beneficiaries".

Mr. Udasi initially in his reply to the discussion said that the taluk would be the unit for the Ashraya committees and the legislator concerned would be the chairman. This was opposed by the legislators since there was more than one legislator in each taluk, and consequently the power that they wielded would be diluted. Dissatisfied with the reply of the Minister, the Opposition staged a walkout.

The Assembly thereafter adopted the Karnataka State Civil Services (Regulation of Transfer of Teachers) Bill 2007 moved by the Minister for Primary and Secondary Education, Basavaraj Horatti.

The Bill seeks to bar inter-district transfer of teachers except in the case of those close to the retirement age and women teachers who seek postings to the district where their husbands were at work.

The Bill also ensures that the teachers on appointment would have to first work in a rural area for a period not less than five years. The Governor had earlier promulgated an Ordinance on the same subject.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail