Callers pour out problems on chief minister's radio phone-in

The feedback given by people during the phone-in programme on Saturday was no music to the ears of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah.

In the hour-long programme aired by All India Radio, people who dialled Siddaramaiah explained the “delays” in government programmes reaching them.

A majority of the calls during the phone-in programme on AIR pertained to delays in granting pension, issue of licence, land grants and approvals among other things.
There were at least three calls pertaining to “leak” of the examination conducted by KPSC for recruitment to the post of first division clerks, to which Siddaramaiah said he would look into it.  The callers sought that a re-examination be conducted, but the chief minister did not give them any assurance.
Pradeep from Hassan said he had applied for a fair price shop under the physically challenged quota in 2013, but was yet to receive a licence. Naveen Kumar from Anekal said he had applied for a borewell under the Ganga Kalyana scheme, but was yet to get a sanction letter. “The standard answer given to me by officials is that the file has gone to Vidhana Soudha,” Kumar said.

‘Good job’
Ramesh from Raichur said Siddaramaiah was doing a good job, but some of his cabinet colleagues were not up to the mark. “They are not putting efforts to ensure that your programmes reach the people,” he said.

Eshwar from Raichur said wages under Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme had not been disbursed for the last one year in his village.

There were calls to increase the quantum of grains provided under the Annabhagya scheme and Siddaramaiah gave a positive response to them. Several callers sought sanction of houses to them.

Khan of Periyapatna, a visually challenged person who sought that a house be sanctioned to him, wanted the chief minister’s personal telephone number. “Nannadu yavadu number illavallappa” (I do not have a number), said Siddaramaiah and left the listeners surprised.