The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Opposition stages dharna in Council

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Thursday, Jul 19, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Opposition stages dharna in Council

Special Correspondent

Bangalore: The entire Opposition in the Legislative Council on Wednesday staged a dharna in the well of the House demanding an inquiry by a House Committee into the alleged role by some top officials of the Women and Child Welfare Department in getting the contract of supplying energy food to a Tamil Nadu-based private company, ignoring the interests of the Karnataka State Agro Products Limited which was earlier distributing it.

Raising the issue, Congress member V.S. Ugrappa said that the State public sector enterprise was entrusted with the responsibility of supplying energy food to anganwadis since 1979.

But in 2002, the then Secretary to the department, Thanagaraj, awarded the contract for supplying the energy food to 14 districts in the State to a Tamil Nadu-based private company, Christie Fried Gram Industries, he alleged.

In due course, the above company was given the responsibility of supplying the energy food to the entire State.

Following this, the State PSU was on the verge of closure, he said.

Other Opposition members, including H.K. Patil, Pratap Chandra Shetty, V.R. Sudarshan and M. P. Nadagouda alleged a conspiracy to kill a PSU.

They also demanded that the PSU should again be entrusted with the responsibility of supplying energy food.

However, Women and Child Welfare Minister H. K. Kumaraswamy denied the allegations levelled against officials.

Leader of the House D.H. Shankaramurthy assured the House that there was no question of closing down the PSU.

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