KALABURAGI: The Karnataka Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, held a meeting in Kalaburagi on Tuesday, approving projects worth Rs 11,770 crore related to 46 issues concerning the Kalyana Karnataka region.
The cabinet also approved the upgrading of Bidar and Raichur towns to city municipalities and sanctioned a Rs 7,200 crore drinking water project for villages in Bidar and Kalaburagi.
Speaking at a press conference after the cabinet meeting, Siddaramaiah said, “In today’s meeting, 56 issues were discussed, of which 46 were related to the Kalyana Karnataka region. The cabinet has considered projects worth a total of Rs 12,692 crore. The water project, to source water from Narayanapura Dam, is under a central government partnership, with half of the Rs 7,200 crore funding expected from the central government.”
“Every year, Rs 5,000 crore is allocated for the development of Kalyana Karnataka. However, the central government has not provided any funds for this region since the implementation of Article 371J. As a result, we have decided to request Rs 5,000 crore from the central government for the region’s development,” Siddaramaiah asserted.
The Chief Minister also mentioned that steps will be taken to fill 17,439 vacant positions in the Kalyana Karnataka region in phases.
“Today, the Kalyana Karnataka Utsav was celebrated as it is the region’s Liberation Day. From 2013 to 2018, during our government’s term, a cabinet meeting was held in Kalaburagi in 2014 to address the pressing issues of the Kalyana Karnataka region. Article 371J was implemented in 2012 under the leadership of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, thanks to the efforts of Mallikarjun Kharge and Dharam Singh, and our government made sincere efforts to enforce it,” CM Siddaramaiah said.
“In 2002, as per the Nanjundappa report, a committee was set up to address regional imbalances. Currently, another committee, chaired by Dr Govinda Rao, has been formed to assess the status of the taluks in this region. Once the committee’s report is received, steps will be taken to develop the backward taluks,” the CM added.
The state cabinet also approved the construction of 45 Primary Health Centres and 31 Community Health Centres in the Kalyana Karnataka region. Additionally, nine taluk hospitals will be upgraded, and two taluk hospitals will be elevated to district hospitals, with a total expenditure of Rs 890 crore. (ANI)