Bengaluru, Sep 3 (PTI) The Karnataka government has decided to convene a three-day special session of the state legislature from September 21 to discuss the severe drought situation and the Kasturirangan report on the Western Ghats, Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara said on Thursday.
The three-day session will be exclusively devoted to the two subjects, with no Question Hour, Calling Attention or other regular legislative business, Parameshwara said while briefing reporters after the Cabinet meeting.
“The Cabinet has decided to call a special session on September 21, 22 and 23,” he said.
The government wanted an extensive discussion on the distress being faced by farmers and the wider impact of the drought on the state’s economy and food security, he added.
Parameshwara said Karnataka had witnessed an exceptionally severe drought and there was a need to discuss its consequences in the Assembly.
He said the Kasturirangan report would also be taken up as the state had rejected it several times earlier, but debates over its recommendations continued.
“Once and for all, we want to inform the people about this. We will use the special session to discuss the Kasturirangan report as well,” he said.
The Kasturirangan Committee Report proposed designating 37 per cent of the Western Ghats (roughly 60,000 square kilometers) as an Eco-Sensitive Area (ESA) to balance environmental protection with regional development.
The government also decided to establish a Global Investment and Overseas Affairs Department to attract international capital and facilitate investment proposals, while also dealing with the welfare and affairs of Non-Resident Indians.
The department will provide a single-window facilitation mechanism, issue a Non-Resident Indian card and assist with overseas employment opportunities, foreign delegations, international partnerships, research and development, cultural exchanges, global sports, sister-city arrangements and international health, medical and tourism-related initiatives.
Explaining the rationale for the new department, Parameshwara said foreign investors had in some cases arrived in Karnataka but failed to receive timely attention, prompting them to consider other destinations.
“The objective is this–foreign investors sometimes come and wait, but nobody attends to them. They become disappointed and leave for another state or go elsewhere to invest. We have heard many such instances. To rectify that, the government has taken this as a major decision,” he said.
He clarified that the new department would not take over the responsibilities of the Industries department or other sectoral ones. Instead, it would receive investors, facilitate their interaction with the chief minister and forward proposals to the appropriate department for further action.
A State Facilitation Council will be headed by the CM with the deputy chief minister as vice-chairman.
Ministers handling Industries, Agriculture, Horticulture, Information Technology and Biotechnology department, Urban Development, Bengaluru Development, Higher Education, Power, Health, Sports and Medical Education will be members.
The department will initially remain under the chief minister, Parameshwara said, while indicating that a minister could be assigned the portfolio later.
The Cabinet has also constituted two high-level ministerial bodies — a Group of Ministers (GoM) and for the first time in Karnataka, a Cabinet Sub-Committee on Political Affairs.
Parameshwara said the GoM would provide a forum for discussing important matters before they were placed before the Cabinet for a final decision. He noted that the system already exists at the Centre.
The Political Affairs Committee will be headed by CM D K Shivakumar, with Parameshwara as vice-chairman. Its members would be ministers K H Muniyappa, K J George, Priyank Kharge, Krishna Byre Gowda, Yathindra Siddaramaiah, U T Khader, Lakshman Savadi, Satish Jarkiholi and M B Patil.
The Cabinet has separately designated eight ministers as official government spokespersons — Parameshwara, Krishna Byre Gowda, Priyank Kharge, Santosh Lad, U T Khader, Eshwar Khandre, H C Balakrishna and Lakshman Savadi.
Parameshwara said the spokespersons would receive regular briefings on government decisions and their statements on government matters would be treated as official. Statements by other ministers, where they differ from the authorised position, would be considered their personal views.
“There is no chief spokesperson. All are spokespersons. All are equal,” he said.
The move, he said, was intended to ensure more coordinated communication and “qualitative administration”, while stressing that other ministers would continue to have the authority to speak.
On the Bengaluru-Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor (NICE Road), the Cabinet has decided to provide sites to 1,453 people who lost their land for the project.
NICE has already developed around 574 sites, while another 879 will have to be developed to meet the requirement, Parameshwara said. The company, and not the state government, will be responsible for providing the sites as the land acquired for the project had been handed over to it.
The Cabinet has fixed a two-month deadline for implementing the decision.
Sites can be developed on available NICE-acquired land in locations, including Varaha, Chandra, Madavara, Srikantapura, Gangagondanahalli and Nelli, he said.
“The only issue is procedural. We can resolve that later. But the decision has been taken that sites should be given,” Parameshwara said.
The decision followed consideration of the Framework Agreement, applicable laws and court orders, including a Supreme Court order which, according to the deputy CM, indicated that the state government could take a decision on providing the sites.
The NICE issue concerns farmers who had parted with their land for the infrastructure corridor after assurances from the authorities that they would receive developed sites. Parameshwara said the Cabinet decision was aimed at resolving a dispute that had continued for years.
“In such a situation, isn’t giving the farmer a site a matter of humanity and fairness. That is why the government has taken this decision,” he explained.
He said he had chaired around eight meetings of the Cabinet sub-committee dealing with NICE-related issues and that several matters, particularly those concerning the stretch up to Bidadi’s Sector A, had been substantially resolved. There was, however, no discussion on the toll issue at Thursday’s Cabinet meeting.
On the Karnataka Public Service Commission (KPSC) recruitment controversy, Parameshwara said the investigation was continuing and rejected the need for the government to respond to every allegation through public statements.
His remarks came in response to allegations by Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, who has claimed to possess documents and a charge sheet relating to alleged irregularities in KPSC recruitment.
“Kumaraswamy has made very serious allegations. He has said he has documents. Let him release all those documents. If the concerned minister or the government has to respond, we will reply to him,” Parameshwara said.
He said further investigation could be considered if the allegations were serious and found to have substance.
On questions concerning the recruitment of 24 candidates and an FSR report, Parameshwara said he did not have sufficient details and would discuss the matter separately. PTI GMS KH SA
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