From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network - Bangalore

Bangalore, Aug 15: In a bid to reassure the girl students and their parents, Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah on Friday declared that the State Government has taken stringent measures to check atrocities on girl students in schools and colleges.

He was speaking after unfurling the tricolour on the 68th Independence Day and reviewing the guard of honour from an open jeep at the Field Marshal Manekshaw Parade Ground in Bangalore.

The chief minister declared that the heads of all educational institutions, be it government or private, are responsible for safety of children till they leave the school premises.

The State Government has directed schools to set up children safety committees to prevent such incidents, he said.

The Chief Minister said all school managements have been told to ensure proper antecedents of both non-teaching and teaching staff before recruiting them for the service.

Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, who said "the day, a woman can walk freely at midnight on the roads, that day we can say that India has achieved independence,”Siddaramaiah said "Our Government is committed to work in this direction and build Karnataka as a prosperous State, which is free from hunger, poverty, illiteracy, disease and fear."

He said nature has responded positively and almost all reservoirs of the State were full. There was no scarcity for power.

''The smile on the face of the farmers has brought content and satisfaction,”he said.

In an apparent ploy to take the fight directly to former chief minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy over the KPSC recruitment issue, Siddaramaiahsaid those who were trying to give humanitarian face to cover irregularities in recruitment should be shunned.

The State Government has taken strict measures and hard decisions to protect sanctity in recruitments.

Referring to irregularities in the recruitment of gazetted posts by the KPSC, Siddaramaiah said even when investigations have indicated some irregularities in recruitments and decisions are taken on such findings, some vested interests are trying to stoke emotional feelings, which is against public interest.

"This needs to be recognised by the public," he said.

Siddaramaiah said the State Government has initiated action to fill up vacant posts of 9,511 teachers in primary schools, 1,137 in high schools and 1,130 in pre-university colleges would be filled.

The Central government has approved to upgrade 66 primary schools to high schools during the current year.

Tele-education programme is being implemented in over 1,000 rural schools in co-ordination with Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore and its allied technological institutions.

Over 1.68 lakh children have been found out of school and of which 99,000children have been brought into various schools to ensure education to them.