“It is the State government’s responsibility to provide security to everyone. Terrorism is a big problem globally. Stringent action will be taken against those found to be involved in terrorist activities. But the innocent will be protected,” Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar has said.
He was responding to the MLA R. Roshan Baig’s plea to exercise discretion during the crackdown on terrorist outfits at a function organised by the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation and the Karnataka Christian Development Council to distribute cheques to beneficiaries here on Wednesday.
‘Don’t torture innocent’
Mr. Baig, while speaking about the problems of people belonging to the minorities, said, “Whoever is involved, punish them. But in the name of terrorism, don’t torture the innocent. People belonging to the minorities need a sense of security; they need to feel that no one will barge into their house suddenly.”
He also complained about the presence of middlemen charging beneficiaries money on the pretext of helping them get their due from the government, and appealed to the government to provide opportunities for education, “which is the only way the problems of the minorities will be solved”.
To this, Mr. Shettar assured those present that the government was committed to the cause of the minorities.
Listing the steps taken for their welfare, he said: “Minorities do not just include Christians and Muslims; Jains, Buddhists, Sikhs and Parsis are also beneficiaries. The BJP government is providing all kinds of support to them. Compared to the Rs. 265 crore spent in the last 22 years by previous governments covering 1.31 lakh beneficiaries, the BJP government has spent Rs. 232 crore on 1.68 lakh beneficiaries in four years alone,” he said.
He added that close to 45,000 students had been given education loans worth about Rs. 85 crore, while Rs. 50 crore had been allotted to the Christian Development Council.
In the budget for 2012-13, Rs. 100 crore had been allotted for the welfare of minorities, Mr. Shettar said, and added that the ambit of the Karnataka Minorities Development Corporation had been expanded to all 30 districts from the previous three.
