Bharatiya Janata Party leaders Trivikram Joshi, Basavanagowda Byagwatt and Raichur Rural MLA Tipparaj Hawaladar have demanded that the State government continue the high power committee for implementation of the Dr. D.M. Nanjundappa panel report on regional imbalances with increased fund allocation.
They were addressing a press conference at the Reporters’ Guild here on Monday.
They said that the term for the committee would expire by the end of March and the government had not appointed the chairman for it.
“As per the recommendations in the report, regional imbalances should have been redressed within eight years by spending Rs. 16,000 crore of special grants and Rs. 15,000 crore in budgetary allocations in 114 backward taluks. Even after spending a considerable amount of money, backwardness has not yet been eliminated. The committee needs to be continued for another five years. The special grant of Rs. 2,000 crore a year should also be doubled for the period,” Mr. Joshi demanded.
As per an evaluation by the Centre for Multidisciplinary Development Research, only 46 per cent of the targeted progress has been achieved in backward taluks identified by the panel, he added.
“Based on the centre’s observations, the government should take a decision to continue the panel,” he said.
