JOIN USShobha not satisfied with progress
Addressing the first progress review meeting of the Zilla Panchayat at the auditorium on Saturday, she demanded a comprehensive report on the development work by the end of the month.
Karandlaje said discrepancy was found in 110 development projects in Union Law and Justice Minister Veerappa Moily’s constituency and in 180 projects in Union Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa. “No proper and complete information is available regarding the level of progress of the projects or about the funds released for their implementation,” she added.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) too was not being implemented in Chikkaballapur district appropriately, she said.
Implementation problem
Responding to the Minister’s allegations, Zilla Panchayat deputy executive officer Zulfikar said the MGNREGS has been implemented upto 91 per cent in the district. “We have faced certain hurdles in Chintamani and Gauribidanur taluks. These will be cleared by the end of the month and then, we would have reached 100 per cent of implementation of the Scheme,” he explained.
Karandlaje said there were problems while distributing ration cards and many citizens had been deprived of the facility. People living below and above the poverty line are issued different cards. “The problem of issuing the ration cards to the real beneficiaries should be solved be the end of the month,” she demanded.
Chief executive officer of the State government, S V Ranganath, who presided over the review meeting, spoke during the occasion. Senior citizens are not getting pension properly. Most of them are deprived of the benefit. Officers should take steps to spread awareness regarding pension schemes and also work towards providing the beneficiaries with the facilities. “The scheme will become a real success only if the pension scheme reaches senior citizens in rural areas,” he commented.
Post office preferred
Officers in the district explained that there are as many as 13 nationalised banks in the district, with 107 branches. Poor people as well as pensioners have been permitted to open free accounts in the banks, but most of the beneficiaries do not wish to do so.
“Most senior citizens say opening an account at the post office has an added benefit of their money being delivered to their houses. They ask why then they should open accounts in banks, which they have to visit to collect their money,” they said and added that officers should spread awareness among the senior citizens about the added benefits of pension schemes. “We are trying to prepare new programmes to popularise the schemes,” they informed.
Chief Minister’s Financial Advisor K V Raju, Regional Commissioner S N Jayarama, District
In-charge executive officer N C Muniyappa, Deputy Commissioner Dr N Manjula, District Superintendent of Police Dr T D Pawar, Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer B S Shekharappa and others were present during the meeting.
MLAs share platform
Five legislators from Chikkaballapur district- K P Bachegowda from Chikkaballapur, V Muniyappa from Shidlaghatta, N Sampangi from Bagepalli, Dr M C Sudhakar from Chintamani and N H Shivashankar Reddy from Gauribidanur- put across the problems faced by their respective constituencies. Roads in bad condition, high level of fluoride in drinking water, problems in implementation of MGNREGS and irregularities in the taluk offices were some of the problems they explained as present in the areas.
The legislators requested the government to release more funds and even give priority to solve the problems.