From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bagalkot, Nov 17: Below Poverty Line (BPL) cards of all ineligible persons will be withdrawn but eligible persons need not worry, declared Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday.
Speaking to media persons in Bagalkot, he made it clear that deserving and eligible persons will have no problems with their BPL cards. He, however, chided the reporters for asking whether the BPL cards were being withdrawn and said the media persons must first ascertain facts.
“The government is seriously thinking of withdrawing the BPL cards of all ineligible persons,” he said asking whether income tax payers and government servants should get BPL cards. At the same time, the chief minister declared that the Food and Civil Supplies Department was examining the proposal for withdrawing BPL cards of all ineligible persons. “But a final decision is yet to be taken,” he said reassuring the genuine BPL card holders that they will have no problem.
“None of the cards will be cancelled. It is just the withdrawal of BPL cards from ineligible persons,” he clarified.
Reservation for Coop management graduates in jobs
The chief minister later announced that the state government was seriously examining a proposal for introducing reservation in recruitments to cooperative management graduates and diploma holders in the Department of Cooperation.
He was addressing a function after inaugurating the 71st All India Cooperative Week organised by the Karnataka State Cooperative Federation and Karnataka State Apex Bank and distributing the Karnataka Sahakari Ratna Awards.
Siddaramaiah said the cooperative movement took firm roots due to the encouragement and support from India’s first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru, who believed in strengthening the economy of rural India. Making it clear that he was always supportive of cooperative movement and the principle of cooperation, he indicated that he was in favour of extending reservation for degree and diploma holders in the recruitment in cooperative department.
The chief minister said the cooperative movement had started way back in 1904 and the cooperative rules came into existence from 1905. The movement spread to the entire country under Nehru’s leadership.
He said the decision to enable Dalits, backward classes and women to become members of cooperative societies and said the youth from these sections must continue to become members free of cost so that it covers the entire society. Father of the nation Mahatma Gandhi’s ideals of Grama Swaraj encompasses strengthening of the cooperative movement.
The chief minister utilised the occasion to lambast the Narendra Modi regime for starting the cooperation department at the Centre even though the subject is entirely under the domains of the state governments. With Centre taking over the cooperative department under Union Home Minister Amit Shah, the assistance to farmers under NABARD has been slashed by 58%, which is gross injustice to farmers.
He called upon farmers and all sections of the society to protest usurping of powers and curtailing NABARD assistance to farmers.