Guarantee schemes to continue in Karnataka, says CM Siddaramaiah; announces Rs 200-cr fund to mitigate landslides 

“This is the concept of Universal Basic Income, which provides direct financial assistance to poor families. Karnataka is the only state implementing such a programme in a big way, which is currently being im plemented in developed countries to help the poor and we are proud of it,” he said.

Siddaramaiah said that the state will give “a befitting reply through economic growth of the State to those who made the prophecy that the State will go bankrupt by these schemes”.

CM Siddaramaiah highlighted that his government has kept its promise of providing financial security to the people of the state by implementing five guarantee schemes. “These schemes have brought relief to the lives of people who have suffered due to the rising financial inequality,” he said, adding that the programmes would continue.

For women who benefit from the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, plans are afoot to include them under self-help groups to take up income generating activities, the CM mentioned.

Raising concerns over land slides reported in the state, he said that people must “seriously consider nature’s warning that maintaining a balance between development and the environment is essential.”

In this regard, 1,351 villages in 250 grama panchayats located in Chikkamagaluru, Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Kodagu, Shivamogga, and Hassan, within the Western Ghats, have been identified by the Geological Survey of India, as prone to landslides. To prevent landslides in these areas, mitigation measures will be taken up by the state government at a cost of Rs 100 crore in collaboration with the Geological Survey of India and the National Institute of Rock Mechanics (NIRM), he added.

In his address, he also took a dig at the Central Government for deviating from the principles of the federal system. This has resulted in discrimination in the allocation of funds to states, he added.

“By ignoring constitutional principles, there is a tendency to delay the financial share due to the states, which is not in the interest of the people. Unfortunately, states are compelled to seek legal recourse to obtain their rightful share from the Centre. On this occasion I urge the Central Government to understand the fact that the nation can develop only if the states are developed and fair amount of grants to the states are released for development,” he added.