BENGALURU: Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot said on Monday that Bengaluru tops the list of cities in terms of women’s safety as per a survey.
Delivering his Republic Day address here, he said under the guarantee schemes of the state government, Rs 1.13 lakh crore has been disbursed to beneficiaries. Surveys indicated that the guarantee schemes introduced by the government, based on the concept of Universal Basic Income, have brought significant changes in the lives of beneficiaries, especially women.
“Studies indicate that people’s purchasing power has increased and many poor families have been empowered financially,” he said.
“A new economic and social enthusiasm has emerged among women. Surveys indicate that Bengaluru ranks first in the country in terms of women’s safety. This is a matter of pride for the state,” the Governor said.
Referring to empowerment of women, he said Karnataka has taken some revolutionary decisions, keeping in mind the health and well-being of women workers. “Women workers are now allowed to take menstrual leave for 12 days in a year,” he added.
On the progress achieved by the Revenue Department, Gehlot said over 80% of pending cases in revenue courts have been disposed of and 1,11,111 beneficiaries received title deeds. Around one lakh title deeds are ready for distribution. Revenue records are being digitised to protect the interests of farmers. For the convenience of residential site owners, approval has been granted to convert ‘B’ khatas into ‘A’ khatas.
This will benefit over 20 lakh people in the limits of urban local bodies. The e-Swathu system has helped a large number of people, he said.
The governor said importance is being given to infrastructure development in Bengaluru. Projects worth Rs 1.5 lakh crore are being implemented in the capital city.
On the reforms in the sector of education, he said the recommendations of Prof Sukhadeo Thorat committee are being implemented. ‘Akshara Aavishkara’ scheme is being implemented in the Kalyan Karnataka region to improve the sector there. A committee chaired by Dr Chhaya Degaonkar to identify the problems the region faced in the sector submitted its report recently.
Stating that excess rainfall had damaged crops in various parts of the state, he said the government has allocated Rs 2,250 crore towards compensation for farmers. Insurance compensation of more that Rs 2,000 crore has been extended to farmers. Farmers now use machines to harvest crops such as ragi, paddy and maize. Assistance is being provided to them under various farm mechanisation schemes. The government has provided over Rs 10,000 crore to farmers in the form of subsidies, he said.
The government has decided to acquire land for the Upper Krishna Project in a single phase and has fixed a fair compensation, he added.