BENGALURU: During the low-profile celebration, the Jana-Mana programme, on the occasion of completion of three years of Siddaramaiah government on Friday, the Chief Minister made a few earnest declarations about the success of the various schemes.
Shunning extravagance for the event, the government chose to hear from beneficiaries of various programmes. It also lent ears to the problems faced by them.
At the end of it, the CM had to respond to two school kids from the northern districts, who demanded that milk be supplied six days a week under Ksheera Bhagya. To which, he made a promise that it would be announced soon.
“My officers will complain about the increase in subsidy, but with the benefits that can be seen in health and education, this should be seen as human resource development,” Siddaramaiah said.
Lalitha Prabhu of Udupi revealed that she was a domestic maid and had worked in eight houses. She and her sister found it difficult to sustain themselves with only 10 kg of grains available under Anna Bhagya, she said.
In an emotional plea to the Chief Minister, Lalitha asked the CM to increase the allocation per person from the present 5 kg.
The Chief Minister said the increase of allocation per person would be taken up for discussion.
Based on the complaint by two beneficiaries about the poor quality of tarpaulin supplied for Krishi Honda, Chief Minister directed Agriculture Minister Krishna Byre Gowda to inquire into it and set exact conditions on the quality. Some beneficiaries had complained that the tarpaulin quality was good but later deteriorated and the price being quoted was higher than the market rate.
Hassan beneficiary’s grudge
Thippeswamy from Challakere created quite a stir at the event. He was not selected to take part in the event, but he came anyway and slipped in among the crowd from Hassan. On the stage, he declared that he was selected for the Ganga Kalyana programme to finance borewells in 2012, but funds were given only four years later. “How can it be delayed so much?” he questioned.
He also cited an instance where he had applied for help to install drip irrigation for growing onions. “My application was not processed. People who applied after me got funding because they paid bribes,” he alleged. After he had lambasted the officials, he got an earful from Social Welfare Minister H Anjaneya, whose constituency is Challakere.
The smart set
The Jana Mana event,
organised by the government to celebrate the completion of three years, did not entirely go according to a script, with a few picking faults emphatically. Ramavikas from Shivamogga, a 10-year-old demanded,“You have so many scholarship programmes for poor people from backward classes. But what can you do for us who are Brahmins and are poor? Schoolgirl Rakshita from Haveri, a beneficiary of Ksheera Bhagya, thanked the CM for the scheme but said that her teachers were too busy focussing on taking care of Ksheera Bhagya and other schemes to pay attention to them.
‘Oppn shameless’
The CM resisted from taking any digs at the opposition, except when he said, “The opposition can criticise us as much as they wish. But it should not be done just for opposing. It is shameless. I am surprised people who have gone to jail are talking about corruption.”
Suggestions from beneficiaries
-Canteens in college along the lines of Amma canteen
-Housing for sexual minorities
-Increase amount of rice per person under Anna Bhagya
-Increase allocation under Shaadi Bhagya