BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, who took oath on Wednesday after a week of political tumult and speculation, told The New Indian Express that his top priorities are the twin challenges of Covid and floods.
Large parts of the state have been flooded. What is your plan, considering you have served as Water Resources Minister previously?
I have chalked out a plan to visit the flood-hit areas, starting with parts of Uttara Kannada, and assess and monitor the damage. We are working very hard to ensure that damage due to floods is minimal.
When will you form your cabinet, will it be done before Independence Day?
I will be going to Delhi to meet the central leadership, especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and party president JP Nadda, and will expand the cabinet in consultation with them and our state party leaders.
What is your current focus?
Just now, the priority is to deal with Covid and floods, and nothing more.
You have spoken of cutting 5 percent expenditure through better fiscal discipline. When do you plan to start?
I have said that a minimum of 5 percent wasteful expenditure has to be cut. We begin from today, I have spoken to my officers and instructed them to cut expenditure wherever possible. Come to think of it, the savings will be a huge amount of money.
You have spoken of three pro-poor programmes, is this all or do you have other programmes to benefit the poor?
Of course, in the coming days, in consultation with party leaders, we will announce programmes wherever there is a genuine need.