Hubli: Revenue Minister Krishnabhaire Gowda, clarified the state’s position on the issue of drought and accused the central government of creating confusion among farmers.
Speaking to mediapersons on Thursday Gowda emphasized that there is no ambiguity regarding the drought declaration in Karnataka. The state government had officially declared a drought, affecting 195 taluks, as of yesterday. This declaration followed one and a half months of comprehensive assessment and consideration. Some taluks were found to be falling short of the central government’s standards for drought declaration. However, the state government proceeded with the declaration as per the norms established by the Central Government. Minister Gowda clarified that this declaration is not final, and another survey will be conducted at the end of the month to reevaluate the situation.
In early July, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had written a letter to the Central Government expressing the challenges in declaring a drought based on their standards. Minister Gowda stressed that it is difficult to meet the central government’s criteria for drought declaration and called for a change in the guidelines, urging the central government to abandon its stance and cooperate in addressing the drought crisis in Karnataka. The Chief Minister’s letter to the Central Government has yet to receive a response, and Minister Gowda expressed the need for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to intervene in the matter and engage in discussions regarding Karnataka’s situation.
During his visit to Hubli, Minister Gowda conducted inspections at the Tahsildar’s office and the Sub-Registrar’s office. He discussed potential improvements within the departments to ensure efficient and timely work in the revenue department. Minister Gowda emphasized the importance of delivering quality service to the people, promoting good governance, and distancing the current administration from the practices of the previous government.
Regarding pending cases, Minister Gowda noted that there were 32,000 cases pending at the sub-divisional officer level in the state. Since coming to power, the government has managed to dispose of 16,000 files in three months. He instructed that no files should remain pending at the District Collector, Assistant Collector, and Tahsildar levels. He recognized that the file disposal process in government offices was slow, with files taking up to two months to be sent and four months to receive a response. Minister Gowda announced plans to implement e-office systems up to the Tehsildar level from October 1, aiming to expedite file disposal. This move is intended to streamline the process, reduce hassles in retrieving records, and combat the prevalence of fake documents in some cases.
