Karnataka CM lists one-year achievements

Unfazed by the drubbing the ruling Congress got in the Lok Sabha elections, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah Monday showcased the achievements of his government in the past one year.

"Of 160 promises made in our party's poll manifesto for the 2013 assembly elections, we have implemented about 90 of them in the last 12 months," Siddaramaiah told reporters here after releasing a 108-page booklet "Walk the Talk" on the government's achievements, brought out by the state information department in Kannada.

A decade after being in the wilderness, the Congress returned to power in the state in May 2013, winning 121 seats in the 225-member legislative assembly and defeating the BJP and the Janata Dal-Secular.

Recalling the decisions he took within an hour of oath-taking, a beaming Siddaramaiah said his government implemented the food subsidy scheme (Anna Bhagya) to give 30 kg rice per month at Re.1 per kg to 10.2 million families below poverty line (BPL) across the state, with a plan outlay of Rs.4,300 crore.

The state food and civil supplies department added supply of wheat, ragi and jowar to the scheme for the benefit of people in the state's northern region where fibre-based food grain are the staple diet.

"As promised, we are distributing 150 ml milk thrice a week to 6.5 million children studying in state-run and aided schools across the state to check malnutrition and prevent dropouts under the Ksheera Bhagya scheme," he said.

"We are also giving Rs.4 per litre subsidy to milk producers through state cooperative societies, which cost us Rs.818 crore in fiscal under review (2013-14)," he added.

Under the Bhagyalakshmi and Kuteer Jyoti schemes, the state government waived off Rs.268 crore arrears due from two million energy consumers in rural areas.

"We waived off Rs.1,340 crore loans with interest borrowed by a million SCs, STs, OBCs and minorities for various economic activities and increased the housing subsidised loan to economically weaker sections to Rs.120,000 per unit from Rs.75,000 under the Rajiv Gandhi Housing Corporation," the chief minister said.

Asserting that the state government has done its best to implement many promises made in the manifesto despite resource constraints, Siddaramaiah said he presented two budgets for fiscal 2013-14 and 2014-15 in seven months due to twin elections within a year.

"We will focus on increasing power generation capacity, drinking water supply in drought-hit villages, irrigation projects, building or completing roads in rural areas and state highways for improving connectivity," he added.