BENGALURU/KALABURAGI : The High Power Committee on Redressal of Regional Imbalance (HPCRRI), chaired by economist Prof M Govinda Rao, has recommended the abolition of all regional development boards, except for the Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board (KKRDB).
The committee found North Karnataka still lagging in development, and recommended allocating Rs 43,914 crore focusing on human development, education, healthcare, nutrition, and skill development. All the recommended expenditure should be in addition to the regular departmental budgets and it should be shown under separate budget heads, it stressed.
With the abolition of the boards, the money through the budget should be channelised through the zilla panchayats for effective-result oriented programmes, the committee stressed.
Constituted by the Karnataka government in March 2024, the committee submitted its report to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday. Siddaramaiah asked the committee to make a presentation on February 11 before tabling it in the budget session of the state legislature.
It further said that the regional development boards set up on the basis of the report of economist Dr DM Nanjundappa have not yielded the desired development. They include the Malnad Area Development Board, established in 1991, for the comprehensive development of 13 districts of the Malnad region. The Bayaluseeme Development Board (set up in 1994) for the development of 12 districts. They have made no expected progress or impact, it noted.
Almost all the taluks in Kalyana Karnataka figured as the most backward followed by Kittur Karnataka (Bombay Karnataka region).
Not a single taluk of the Old Mysuru region has been identified as the most backward albeit some of them ranked as backward and more backward, the report read.
“Karnataka, which has the 10th highest per capita National Gross Domestic Product (NSDP), suffers from regional disparities. Development is concentrated only in Bengaluru and Mysuru divisions.
The service sector has not transformed in line with social development or equitable income distribution. North Karnataka is severely lagging behind,” the report noted, adding that backwardness is again concentrated in North Karnataka with Kalaburagi and Belagavi divisions having the highest.
All of the 59 most backward taluks identified in the state are in North Karnataka and in contrast, the developed taluks are only in Mysuru and Bengaluru divisions.
The Govinda Rao Committee assessed the implementation of the recommendations of the Dr D M Nanjundappa Committee and subsequent Special Development Schemes. The report stated that although substantial funds were allocated, implementation was poor. The money was not judiciously spent and lost focus on the results, it said.
Beyond infrastructure inputs, the committee has adopted a dual-index approach. The outcome index measures real development in living standards, income, poverty, health and education. The infrastructure index measures the primary, secondary, tertiary, economic and social sectors. This helps identify whether the lag is due to lack of resources or inefficient use.
The committee suggested that welfare schemes under Kalyana Karnataka Regional Development Board be thoroughly examined. Active advisory, implementation and expert committees should be set up. Projects should be prioritised based on social cost-benefit analysis and Ad hoc projects should be avoided, it said.
It recommended strengthening decentralised planning, empowering ZPs for better formulation, monitoring and evaluation of district plans, and revitalising the State Planning Department.
The committee, comprising member secretary senior IAS officer Vishal R, Sangeeta Kattimani of Kalaburagi, Prof Bagalkot of Karnatak University Dharwad, retired IAS officer LK Atheeq and MS Suryanarayan, held meetings in all the regional headquarters of the state with all stakeholders and officials.
What it says...
Establish 1,484 new Karnataka Public Schools
Fill all vacant teaching posts at a cost of Rs 12,444 crore
Upgrade 22 existing government medical colleges to super-specialty. Set up 3 medical colleges at Vijayanagar, Vijayapura, Ramanagara
Strengthening PHCs/CHCs (Rs 11,770 cr)
Nutrition to combat anaemia (Rs 1,000 cr)
Complete projects such as Upper Bhadra, focus on water harvesting, market access, refrigeration and strengthening FPOs (Rs 12,000)
Industrial incentives should be revised to double the subsidy in ‘most backward’ taluks
Develop industrial clusters and parks (Rs 2,000cr)
Tourist circuits should be developed aggressively with promotion (Rs 1,000cr)
Special attention should be paid in developing Bidar as a heritage-tourism-industrial hub. Infrastructure in other major towns should be improved, and road/rail/air connectivity in backward areas should be increased (Rs 2,950cr)