BENGALURU: The state government will provide Rs 5 lakh as compensation to families of those who commit suicide due to harassment frommicrofinance companies, announced Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.
Replying to a question from BJP MLC C N Manjegowda during a question and answer session in the Council on Thursday, he said, “The number of harassment cases and suicides has drastically come down after we came up with the law to regulate the microfinance companies.
Based on the suggestions from the members, those who die by suicide due to non-repayment of loans, their families will be given Rs 5 lakh as compensation on humanitarian grounds.” Manjegowda stated that microfinance laws were ineffective in preventing harassment and the deaths were increasing.
While replying to MLC D S Arun’s question, the CM said a new advertisement policy would be prepared and, sharing the yearly state government’s advertisement expenditure to print and electronic media, he said the current Congress government’s expenditure on advertisement has not gone up compared to the previous BJP government.
When Chief Whip of the Opposition, N Ravikumar, raised a question on the drugs getting seized in bulk quantities across the state and what the government has been doing to address the drug supply, Home Minister G Parameshwara said the government’s stand is to make Karnataka free from any drugs and that special teams have been formed to deport foreigners who are involved in drug supply.
Replying to MLC S Ravi on increasing cyber crimes, the home minister accepted that tracking the fraudsters was a huge challenge before the police department and that for this, special skills were needed and they are hiring such people to curb the frauds.