Deputy Chief Minister Govind Karjol has said that the government has finalised an action plan for building additional rooms, bathrooms, toilets, and other facilities in existing government hostels, run by the Social Welfare Department, across the State at a cost of around ₹140 crore.
Addressing presspersons here on Saturday, he said that the plan was mooted on account of the increasing number of students using government hostels every year.
“Facilities in the existing hostels are getting overburdened. We need to expand them so that students could comfortably study. I have already directed officials in the Social Welfare Department to create a conducive atmosphere for students in the hostels,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
When asked about the former Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s criticism of the B.S. Yediyurappa-led State government over flood-relief activities, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the government had tried its best to pay compensation to the flood victims as well as implementing relief and rehabilitation works.
“In fact, the Yediyurappa government went beyond the NDRF norms to offer compensation on humanitarian grounds. Crop-loss compensation, at ₹16,000 a hectare for rain-fed areas and ₹23,000 a hectare for irrigated land, was paid to the affected farmers. We have also paid ₹5 lakh to those whose houses had completely been destroyed in the floods. Standing crops on 7.19 hectares have been destroyed in the floods. If the government had died [as Mr. Siddaramaiah alleged], was it all possible? We have done best within our capacity,” he said.
Kalaburagi airportADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
When asked about the functioning of the newly built airport in Kalaburagi, the Deputy Chief Minister said that the facility will be operational in the current month itself.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be invited for the inauguration of Kalaburagi airport,” he said.