No proposal to provide free sand for poor: Minister

There is no proposal to provide free sand for the poor under the new sand policy, Mines and Geology Minister Halappa Achar said on Friday.

Speaking at a news conference, Achar said that he was not aware why his predecessor - Murugesh Nirani - had made such an announcement.

“The new sand policy is yet to be ratified by the government. My only objective is to come out with a simple policy,” he said. It can be recalled that Nirani had announced in the past that free sand would be provided for the poor under the new sand policy of the state government.

Total annual sand demand in the state was 4.5 crore tonnes. However, there is a supply of only 3.5 crore tonnes. “The government is discussing measures to increase production. such as raising M-sand production in the state,” Achar said.

On MP Sumalatha’s allegations of illegal mining in Mandya district, he said that such incidents have not been reported from the district.

Achar, who also holds Women and Child Development, and Senior Citizens and Differently Abled departments, also announced the list of ‘senior citizens award’ announced by the state government.

The winners are: Gurupadappa Anchera (Education - Haveri), Karaveeraprabhu Kyalakonda (Literature - Bagalkot), Sharanappa Gonal (Art - Raichur), S Janardhan (Social service - Udupi), Anche Ashwath (Sports -Kolar), B Kishan Rao (Law - Koppal) and B R Ambedkar Cultural and Welfare Society (Bidar).

The award carries a purse of Rs 1 lakh, certificate and memento.

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