Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs T.B. Jayachandra has said that the Cabinet sub-committee, headed by Minister for Revenue Kagodu Thimmappa, formed to review the draft of the Karnataka Prevention and Eradication of Human Sacrifice and Other Inhuman Evil and Aghori Practices and Black Magic Bill, popularly known as Anti-superstition bill, would submit its report to the State Government on the issue soon.
The civil society and progressive organisations, that are leading the campaign for introduction of a law to curb superstitious practices, had formed a panel headed by the former Supreme Court Judge Shivaraj V. Patil to draft a suggestive bill. Mr. Jayachandra, who is also member of the Cabinet sub-committee, told presspersons here on Thursday that the panel would prepare the report after holding elaborate discussions with Mr. Patil and other members of the panel.
Justifying the statement made by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah recently that vested interests were blocking the proposed law against superstitious practices, Mr. Jayachandra said that some political parties were engaged in promoting superstitious practices to fulfil their selfish ends. It is unfortunate that even a section of news media also had criticised the government’s move to introduce the bill, he said, adding that the proposed bill will not interfere in the religious sentiments of the people, but would impose a ban on some violent and inhuman rituals practiced in the name of devotion.
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On the announcement by the Union government to procure arecanut under the market intervention scheme (MIS), he said that the State Government has sought clarification from the Centre over the implementation of the scheme. The Union government has announced to procure 28,000 tonnes of chali variety and 12,000 tonnes of red variety of arecanut under MIS. An amount of Rs. 1,600 crore was required for the procurement. The cost incurred for procurement of food grains is shared by the Union and the State governments. As arecanut is a commercial crop, a team comprising senior officials of the Department of Agriculture has been sent to New Delhi to seek clarification from the Centre on the pattern of cost sharing for its procurement, he said.
Mr. Jayachandra said that the grant released from the Centre for Karnataka under the National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP), that was at Rs. 1,680 crore in the year 2015-16, has been reduced to Rs. 800 crore for the year 2016-17. In wake of drought prevailing in the State, the Union government will be requested to release additional grants under NRDWP and under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, he said. Minister for Transport Ramalinga Reddy was present.