Karnataka Governor highlights state's feats at Republic Day fete

Governor Vajubhai Vala, on Sunday, listed out the state's achievements in recent times in his Republic Day address.   

In a 13-minute speech in Hindi after hoisting the Tricolour at the Manekshaw Parade Grounds, Vala congratulated Karnataka for attaining third place in the recently released good governance index and for also standing second in the country as an investment destination, attracting Rs 59,574 crore in investments in 2019.

The state "will set a stellar example for the rest of the country," Vala said, alluding to the state’s heightened sense of technological and infrastructure strides.

Karnataka is at the forefront of renewable energy, he said, because it had cumulatively installed 14,121-MW units of renewable energy, comprising 49% of all installed capacity. This includes the 2,050 solar park at Pavagada.

Regarding Bengaluru, the governor spoke about road-improvement projects which have faced criticism by the public for creating traffic bottlenecks. “The widening and improvement of 156 km of alternative roads in and around the city will reduce traffic congestion in the long run,” he promised.

Sustainable solutions are also coming to the city, he added, claiming that the government was in the process of installing 92 electric vehicle charging stations at various locations, even as it sets about implementing a 148-km rail network at an estimated cost of Rs 18,621 crore.

Scholarships

But not all of Vala’s speech was limited to high-rupee projects. He revealed that plans were on to provide 16 lakh pre-matric and 9 lakh post-matric students with scholarships through the “Integrated State Scholarship” portal.

Focusing on the twin crisis of flooding and drought which plagued the state last year, the governor said the government had made good its promise to offer succour to 2.07 lakh flood-affected families.

He said watershed development projects were being implemented in select 100 taluks afflicted with low groundwater or outright drought. 

Vala said the government has implemented crop loan waiver schemes for outstanding loans up to Rs 1 lakh for farmers in co-operative banks and overdue loans up to Rs 2 lakh per family in commercial banks, adding that it will be completed by March 2020. The move will benefit 21 lakh farmers.