Date:20/04/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/04/20/stories/2007042014090400.htm

Karnataka - Bangalore

Drought relief funds released by Centre not being used properly: Dharam Singh

Special Correspondent

N. Dharam Singh

BANGALORE: Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly N. Dharam Singh on Thursday hit out at the Government for what he termed the poor utilisation of funds released by the Centre for drought relief measures in 128 taluks.

He told presspersons here that the Centre had provided Rs. 126 crore for drinking water schemes.

But the State Government had released only Rs. 21 crore for the purpose. The Government had not constituted task forces headed by legislators to implement relief measrues. The former Chief Minister urged the Government to immediately release Rs. 150 crore to ease the drinking water crisis in villages.

On Wednesday, Home Minister M.P. Prakash said Rs. 63 crore had been released for executing drought relief measures.

Mr. Dharam Singh said though the Centre had announced a Rs. 2,689-crore package to prevent suicides by farmers in six districts, the Government had not taken steps to implement it. A Cabinet subcommittee headed by Energy Minister H.D. Revanna had not prepared action plans to implement the package.

Out of Rs. 146 crore released for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the State had utilised only Rs. 108 crore.

The Centre had released Rs. 18.6 crore under the Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana and Rs. 1.55 crore under the Swarna Jayanti Grama Yojana. But no efforts had been made to utilise the funds, he alleged.