The Hindu : Karnataka News : Focus will be on development of rural areas, says Yeddyurappa

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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
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Karnataka

Karnataka

Focus will be on development of rural areas, says Yeddyurappa

Special Correspondent

‘We will work towards all-round progress of the State'

— Photo: K. Gopinathan

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa speaking at a press meet organised by the Press Club of Bangalore and Reporters' Guild in Bangalore on Monday, as Minister for Home R. Ashok looks on.

Bangalore: The BJP Government, which completed three years in office on Monday, has decided to focus on rural development and welfare of the rural people in the next two years to transform the State into “Kalyana Karnataka”.

Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa said: “the Government's priorities in the next two years are rural development, supply of electricity to IP sets, houses to below poverty line families, developing road network and access to education to all.”

However, the changed focus should not be seen as BJP's preparations for the next Assembly elections, but only to ensure all-round progress of the State, he said.

Speaking at a press meet organised by the Press Club of Bangalore and the Reporters' Guild here to mark completion of three years in office of the BJP Government, the Chief Minister pointed out that he had “overcome several problems and is confident of completing the remaining two years in office devoting time for all-round development of the State”.

The Chief Minister, who travelled 2.6 lakh km. and addressed 1,750 public meetings across the State in the last three years, said the State's finances were stable and the farm growth rate increased from 1.5 per cent to 6 per cent of the State Gross Domestic Product.

A global investors' meet on the agriculture would be organised to attract investment of Rs. 50,000 crore during the year and investment would be diverted for setting up godowns, cold storages and food processing industries, he said. Stating that “there is a plenty of work to do in the coming days”, the Chief Minister said action would be taken against Ministers if they failed to come to the secretariat at least three days in a week, he said.

Without naming JD (S) president H.D. Deve Gowda, Mr. Yeddyurappa alleged that he had troubled the former Chief Ministers Ramakrishna Hegde, Veerendra Patil, S.R. Bommai, J.H. Patel, S.M. Krishna and N. Dharam Singh, and accused the JD(S) supremo of doing the same to him also.

No ‘Operation Lotus'

To a question whether the party would continue to lure Opposition MLAs under its “Operation Lotus”, he said the Government had majority in the Lower House.

“There is no need for the party to lure MLAs of other parties,” Mr. Yeddyurappa added.

On the advisory sent to the State by the Centre, he said: “the Centre has sent a confidential report. I will reply to the Centre.”

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