The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : State to seek Rs. 2,400 crore for taking up relief work

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Sunday, Sep 07, 2008
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

State to seek Rs. 2,400 crore for taking up relief work

Special Correspondent

Centre showing discrimination in allocation of funds: Yeddyurappa

Centre responsible for fertilizer crisis in the State, says Chief Minister
He refutes Kharge’s charge that bills worth
Rs. 1,000 crore have not been cleared

B.S. Yeddyurappa

BANGALORE: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has said he will lead a delegation to New Delhi on September 10 to seek Rs. 2,400 crore for taking up relief work in flood- and drought-affected areas in the State.

Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, he said that the Centre had been adopting a “discriminatory” stance with regard to allocation of funds to the State.

The Centre was responsible for the fertilizer crisis in the State, and the State had been denied its quota of fertilizers during the kharif season, he said. The Centre had adopted a step-motherly attitude towards Karnataka, he alleged, and demanded release of funds for relief work.

Mr. Yeddyurappa said that he would write to Chief Ministers of all States on the “bias” shown by the Centre in the allocation of funds.

Stating that the State’s fiscal position was sound, the Chief Minister said there was no shortage of funds for implementation of schemes announced in the State Budget. At a Teachers’ Day function at Davangere on Friday, he had said that there were not enough funds to meet the expenditure of new schemes. He refuted the allegation made by Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge’s charge that the Government had not cleared bills worth Rs. 1,000 crore. The Government would come out with statistics on its performance on September 9, the day when it would complete 100 days in office, he said. The Chief Minister listed some of the achievements of the Government and dared the Opposition to substantiate its charges.

About 17 lakh farmers have been receiving free power since August 1. On the transfer of Amruta Mahal Kaval, the grazing land at Tarikere taluk in Chikmagalur district, to Ramachandrapura Math in Shimoga district, Mr. Yeddyurappa said the math would be given the responsibility of maintaining the land and breeding a rare variety of cattle.

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