Earlier this week, Chief Minister’s Economic Advisor and senior Congress lawmaker Basavaraj Rayareddi stirred up a political storm — albeit a short-lived one — with his sharp comments on corruption in the system. As expected, his remarks did not go down well with those in the ruling party, while the opposition used them to target the state government.
But, looking beyond the party politics, the comments — on corruption in the system and poor quality of works, especially in the Kalyana Karnataka region — from a lawmaker who is part of the high echelons of the state administration, yet again highlight the rot in the system.
The Siddaramaiah government, which is going after the alleged wrongdoings of the previous BJP government by forming commissions and Special Investigation Teams (SITs), should show the same vigour to come clean on allegations made against the current administration.
The government must make earnest efforts to address the issues raised by one of its senior lawmakers during the meeting called by the regional imbalance redressal committee. The committee, headed by a noted economist, Prof Govind Rao, is constituted to look into the reasons for regional imbalance and suggest measures to address them.
The issue about poor quality in the development works in the Kalyana Karnataka region compared to that of South Karnataka, raised by the Congress legislator, is unlikely to be part of the findings of the committee.
The committee would mainly look at the reasons for backwardness which can be due to several factors, including historical reasons, infrastructure deficit, lack of investments, and issues of governance. It would also cover important aspects, including education and healthcare.
Improving education and healthcare infrastructure is of critical importance for the overall development of the region. At the same time, addressing issues like corruption, maladministration, and other governance issues is equally important. At the end of the day, without effective implementation, any scheme or programme formulated with good intentions will not yield the desired outcomes.
Perhaps, that could be the reason for the continued backwardness of the region, despite successive governments announcing programmes and releasing funds.
As per the Karnataka Economic Survey 2024-25, the state’s Human Development Index improved from 0.432 in 1999 to 0.644 in 2022, consistently ranking 10th and 11th among the states. Kalyana Karnataka districts Yadgir, Kalaburgi, and Raichur are the lowest HDI districts, while Bengaluru Urban, Dakshina Kannada, Chikkamagaluru, and Udupi top the list. “76 taluks fall below the state average (0.573), requiring urgent developmental focus,” the report says.
Even in terms of Gross District Domestic Product in 2023-24, the districts that are better in the industries and services sector fared well with overall growth in District Domestic Product (DDP). Kodagu was at the bottom, preceded by Yadgir. Interestingly, Belagavi, which is in the third place in the overall DDP rank, showed a right mix of agriculture (first place), industry (4th place) and services sector (4th place). Bangalore Urban and Dakshina Kannada were in the first and second places.
In terms of district-wise per capita income, Kalaburagi (Rs 1,43,610), Yadgir (Rs 1,46,364), and Koppal (Rs 1,61,491) were at the bottom of the table, while Bangalore Urban (Rs 7,38,910) and Dakshina Kannada (Rs 5,56,059) stood first and second. Kalaburagi revenue region — comprising Ballari, Bidar, Kalaburagi, Koppal, Raichur, Vijayanagar, and Yadgir districts — stood lowest in per capita income. The report emphasises the “dire need” for the development of industries and services in the region through encouraging private investments.
Kalyana Karnataka districts were at the bottom of the table even in the recently announced second PU results. Despite having an abundance of talent and scope for development, unfortunately, the region lags in most of the indicators.
Prof Govind Rao says it is important to focus on basic education and healthcare along with urban development as urban agglomerations are engines of growth.
The committee report, expected to be presented to the government by the end of this year, will shed light on reasons for the backwardness and measures needed to address them. Hopefully, the government will act on those suggestions promptly.
It’s time our politicians overcome the tendency to look at everything through the prism of party politics. Serious issues like regional imbalance need a nuanced approach, while the government must sternly deal with the allegations of corruption in the system and poor quality in development works. Politicising everything by making it an “Us Vs Them” battle is not in the best interest of the state.