Open liquor outlets in areas bordering Telangana & Andhra, panel tells Karnataka govt

Bengaluru: A Karnataka Legislature committee has recommended opening state-owned liquor shops in areas bordering Telangana and Andhra Pradesh where it said drinkers are consuming harmful local alcoholic beverages.

In its report tabled in the Assembly on Thursday, the Legislature Committee on SC/ST Welfare said liquor outlets of the Mysore Sales International Ltd (MSIL) must be opened in border areas where there is demand for alcohol.

The committee, headed by Malavalli Congress MLA PM Narendraswamy, said MSIL outlets running in the centre of villages must be shifted out as they are causing inconvenience to the citizens.

It noted that MSIL has opened outlets in areas dominated by SC/STs or slums, which is pushing the community towards more distress. The committee asked the government to open Jan Aushadhi (generic medicine) stores in areas dominated by SC/STs and the poor.

Toilet fund

The committee found that funds meant for maintenance of toilets in government schools are being diverted towards painting, water tanks and other purposes. So, it recommended creating a dedicated ‘toilet fund’.

According to the report, every school gets only Rs 40,000 a year for repair of toilets, up from the earlier Rs 20,000. Last fiscal, the Department of School Education & Literacy provided Rs 120 crore grants, which must be doubled to Rs 240 crore, it said.

The committee also recommended increasing the quota under the Right to Education (RTE) Act from the existing 25 per cent, which includes 7.5 per cent for SC and 1.5 per cent for ST.

Reservation

The committee lamented that SC/STs are not enjoying the benefit of reservation in the allotment of KIADB plots and BBMP advertisements.

Until 2009, the KIADB acquired 32,675.82 acres for 116 industrial areas. Of this, 24,778.65 acres were available for allotment and just 0.7 per cent went to SC/ST entrepreneurs. Between 2009 and 2002, SC/ST entrepreneurs got 22.65 per cent of the plots against the required 24.1 per cent, the committee said.

The committee said there was violation of the Constitution by not providing any reservation to SC/ST entrepreneurs in the allotment of plots in the first phase of the Aerospace & Defence Park near the Bengaluru airport. The committee said SC/ST entrepreneurs must be allotted plots in the second phase with backlog.

In the BBMP, SC/ST persons must be given 24.1 per cent of advertising tenders, the committee said.