‘Drive to clear pending files in govt offices in DK from Feb 19’

District In-charge Minister V Sunil Kumar said that a drive to clear pending files in all the government offices from Gram Panchayat to district-level offices in Dakshina Kannada (DK) will be taken up from February 19 to 28.

"Files and applications pending clearance are more in DK. The drive will ensure that no files are kept pending in offices. With the drive, thousands of pending applications will be cleared in the district," he told reporters during an interaction organised by DK Working Journalists' Association at Patrika Bhavan on Saturday.

"A revenue mela will be held in all the constituencies after the drive to inform the beneficiaries on the status of their applications," he said.

Kumar said that an Rs 8,000 crore project under the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) of the Centre will be taken up by the energy department to improve the quality of electricity and also check the transmission loss.

Solar-powered IP sets

To a query on solar-powered IP sets of the farmers, the minister said that Rs 108 crore has been sanctioned to the state for solar-powered irrigation pump (IP) sets under the PM-KUSUM scheme. About 10,000 farmers will be benefited from it.

Under the KUSUM scheme, solar panels will be installed on the electricity feeders, to supply electricity to farmers IP sets. This will cover about two-and-a-half lakh farmers in Karnataka. The scheme will be implemented in BESCOM and GESCOM, he said.

"I have written to the Centre seeking permission to implement it in a few pockets of MESCOM so that farmers in the area will be benefited," he added.

On vacant posts, he said that 1,500 posts will be filled in KPTCL. The work order was issued for 1,899 people, selected for various posts three years ago.

Sand row

To a query on shortage of sand and illegal sand extraction, the minister said that steps will be taken to solve the issue at the earliest. The meeting of the state-level high power committee to decide on sand extraction in the CRZ area will be held on February 14.

Tulu as an official language

The district in-charge minister who is also the minister for Kannada and Culture said that steps will be taken to declare Tulu as an official language.

"I have already discussed it with Kannada and Culture department and moved the file related to it to the legal department. I have also held meetings with the chief minister and law minister. Steps will be taken to include Tulu in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution," the minister promised.