The government today rejected a plea for constitutional amendment which amounts to creation of separate region comprising some districts of Karnataka saying a "sub-state cannot be carved out to address the problem of backwardness".
Responding to a private member's bill, Home Minister P Chidambaram said in the Rajya Sabha that the backwardness of Hyderabad-Karnataka region can be tackled by proper utilisation of funds, implementation of schemes and improving quality of administration.
The bill was moved by K B Shanappa (BJP) who wanted a constitutional amendment to provide for special provisions with regard to Hyderabad- Karnataka region consisting of Gulbarga, Bidar, Raichur, Koppal and Bellary.
"I don't think anywhere in India, sub-states are carved out to address backwardness. In my view, the constitutional amendment is not an answer to the problem," Chidambaram said.
Noting that an amendment to the Constitution should be done sparingly, Chidambaram said other institutional arrangements need to be recognised to deal with backwardness. The Home Minister also observed that some parts of the states remain backward and that is universal truth. But "there must be a political will to address backwardness," he said.
E M Sudarshan Natchiappan (Cong), through another private member's bill, said some districts like Raichur and Gulgarga in Karnataka are left behind despite panchayati raj system working very well in the state. He said the state should allocate funds for development of these districts and find ways to enhance job opportunities.
Speaking on another private member's bill, Shantaram Laxman Naik (Cong) said the government should see whether it was required to bring an amendment to the Constitution to address the issue of backwardness.
He sought certain amendments to stop aggressive land buying in Goa and put in place a transparent recruitment system.
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