CM's poll pep talk at Cabinet meet

The State cabinet is learnt to have discussed election strategy for the Lok Sabha polls with Chief Minister Siddaramaiah telling his Cabinet colleagues that the Congress had the potential to win 20 seats. 

Only 12 ministers attended the Cabinet meeting as many were busy in their constituencies participating in the campaigning process.

Siddaramaiah is learnt to have stressed the need for ministers to work extensively for the victory of the party. People’s problems need to be attended on a war-footing and there should not be any scope for complaints, he is learnt to have said. 

Besides, the model code of conduct should be borne in mind and there should not be any violations, the chief minister is said to have stated.

While eight subjects had been listed on the Cabinet agenda, only two were cleared on Wednesday. The Cabinet is understood to have given its approval for Essel Infra Limited to set up a solid waste management plant that can process 600 tonnes of waste a day. The plant will be set up on a 20-acre site belonging to BBMP at Kannahalli village in Bangalore North taluk.

The Cabinet also decided to adopt the Maharashtra model of paying compensation to farmers who lost their crops due to hailstorms and unseasonal rain. 

The package announced by Maharashtra to its farmers provides for compensation of Rs 10,000 to Rs 25,000 per hectare, besides waiving  electricity bills for the next six months. The package also provides for waiving of the interest on farm loans and putting on hold recovery of loans for a few months.