Krishna to assess performance of ministers

After the conclusion of the legislature session beginning from October 23, Krishna said, he would give some thought on reviewing the ministers’ performances and added that the attendence of ministers in the Secretariat would also be an yardstick for assessment.

“Why did Kengal Hanumanthaiah built Vidhana Soudha ? It is meant for the ministers to attend to offices”, he said in reply to a query on a general complaint that ministers do not come to Vidhana Soudha, the state Secretariat.

Krishna described the state’s relations with the Centre as “cordial” and “I have no complaints to make”. He said “In my experience in the last 12 months my colleagues have not given me any reason to feel let down.”

Krishna said whenever he approached Prime Minister A B Vajpayee, Home Minister L K Adavani and Finance Minister Yashwanth Singh on any issue – whether it’s Cauvery, Rajkumar kidnap crisis or seeking sanction of projects – they have been “very responsive to the needs of Karnataka”.

Krishna said it is quite natural for states to nurture grievances over devolution of funds by the Centre.

Karnataka also had made very clear during the Finance Ministers and Chief Ministers conference that the Centre should consider devolution of more share in revenues.

Karnataka had sought Rs. 6,000 crore as assistance for the energy sector reforms, Rs 900 crore for tank reconstruction and Rs. 1200 crore for road development.

Krishna noted that according to World Bank procedure, any project submitted to the World Bank by the state, had to be cleared by the centre.

The state had drawn up plans to improve power distribution system, strengthen grids, improve quality of power to address the concerns of consumers, who were unhappay now, by deploying Rs. 6000 crore funds in the next five years.

Karnataka had signed an MoA with the Centre to herald power sector reforms and had already decided to privitise the transmission and distribution system, he said.