BANGALORE: The Government has approved the proposals of various departments to take up recruitment on a large scale.

Addressing presspersons here on Thursday, Finance and Industries Minister P.G.R. Sindhia said he has approved recruitments against 10,000 posts. They include 3,455 the Health and Family Welfare Department, 5,436 in the Bangalore Mahanagara Palike, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation, and the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, and 992 in the Bangalore Traffic Police.

The Department of Health and Family Welfare is appointing paramedical staff, such as nurses and assistants, and the KSRTC and BMTC are recruiting conductors, drivers and driver-cum-conductors. The Police Department will recruit 992 constables and other staff for the Bangalore Traffic Police.

Mr. Sindhia said the departments can start the process of recruitment, which may be completed in a few months.

Supply of rice

On the supply of rice at Rs. 3 for yellow-card holders, he said the Finance Department has released Rs. 600 crores as food subsidy, and it is likely to release an additional Rs. 100 crores.

Mr. Sindhia said his Ministry has sanctioned the release of Rs. 15 crores towards subsidy to small-scale industrial units, Rs. 16 crores for the Malnad Development Board and Rs. 6.5 crores for the Bayaluseeme Development Board. Subsidy arrears of Rs. 200 crores are due to small-scale units, he added.

The Minister said funds will be released to the Cooperation Department for waiver of interest on farm loans in February (Rs. 850 crores is needed).

Apart from Rs. 80 crores budgetary allocation for roadworks, Mr. Sindhia said an additional Rs. 156 crores has been released to the Public Works Department. He hinted at release of more funds after discussions with Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh and Public Works Minister H.D. Revanna.

No department will face shortage of funds for programmes, he said and added the finances of the State are sound.

Growth rate

Expressing happiness over the State achieving an overall growth rate of 7.8 per cent, Mr. Sindhia said the Finance Department will write in a week to the Union Finance Ministry for release of Rs. 400 crores as compensation for losses suffered by the State in the implementation of value added tax from September to November. The Government received the first instalment of compensation, of Rs. 250 crores, some time ago.

A sum of Rs. 50 lakhs has been released to each legislator from the Legislators' Area Development Fund, Mr. Sindhia said.

He said he has started preliminary consultations with trade and industry bodies, financial experts and non-governmental organisations to prepare his first budget. The second round of consultations will begin after the 10-day session of the legislature. The budget proposals will aim at mobilising resources for poverty alleviation measures and plugging pilferage of revenue, including that from entertainment tax.

Plans for KIOCL

PTI adds:

Mr. Sindhia said the Government will prepare alternative plans within a fortnight to revive Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd., which was closed down on December 31 following a Supreme Court order. ``We do not want the company to be dissolved. We want to take a decision in another 10 or 15 days,'' he said.

The Government is thinking of granting mining lease in other areas, and the issue will be debated at the next Cabinet meeting, he said.

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