Udupi Oscar Fernandes inaugurates Psychiatric Hospital in Vishwasada Mane

An Update on Hubli-Dharwad meet

Greetings to all ,

Published below is the summary of Hubli - Dharwad meet.

It seems that several issues in the twin cities may be solved within a month if the assurances by Minister for Urban Development Vinaykumar Sorake are anything to go by.

Mr. Sorake chaired a meeting in Banglaore on Monday, in which district-in-charge Minister Dinesh Gundurao, the former Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar, the former Minister Basavaraj Horatti, Prasad Abbayya, MLA, and leaders of various political parties in the municipal council, including Mayor Shivu Hiremath participated.

Addressing presspersons here on Tuesday, along with the former Mayor Pandurang Patil and JD(S) and Congress leaders in the municipal council, Mr. Hiremath said that Mr. Sorake had assured that vacant posts of senior executive posts in the corporation would be filled after the legislature session. The Mayor said that the Minister assured them that the pending amount of Rs. 37 crore of the second Rs. 100 crore special grant to the corporation would be released soon. The Minister and officials also said that technical issues pertaining to allotment of land to small-scale investors at Aryabhata Tech Park in Hubli would be cleared within two weeks, he said.

For the development of Unakal Lake and Tolanakere Lake, the government would soon permit HDMC to utilise the fund of Rs. 9 crore available with the Hubli-Dharwad Urban Development Authority, he said.

Mr. Hiremath said the meeting decided to take steps to make use of the additional land that was acquired for airport expansion but now available with the KIADB for the rehabilitation of residents of Jagadish Nagar Ashraya Colony residents.

Other issues discussed included simplification of property tax guidelines, One Time Settlement for pending water bills and release of third Rs. 100-crore special grant.

Source: http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/ministers-assurances-welcomed/article6214380.ece

Panel Discussion for Ward Committee Powers

Greeting to all, 

Panel discussion organised by CIVIC. 

If what Minister for Urban Development, Karnataka, Vinay Kumar Sorake promised in a panel discussion held on July 11, 2014 materializes into concrete action, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) corporators cannot continue to rule the roost. Citizens will get more power and say in local matters, in the form of ward committees and area sabhas.

The Minister promised to amend the section 13 of Karnataka Municipal Corporation Act, to remove veto power over ward committees given to corporators. He also said he would look into amending the section to remove the power to nominate members for ward committees and introduce some other means to select ward committee members.

The promise came on Friday, July 11th, 2014, in a panel discussion on Karnataka Ward Committee and Area Sabha Act and Rules, arranged by CIVIC in Jain College auditorium off JC Road, Bangalore, in which ex-IAS officer and governance expert T R Raghunandan, co-ordinator of Environment Support Group Leo Saldanha and others participated. Minister Vinaykumar Sorake and Secretary to Urban Development Department T K Anilkumar were the chief guests.

‘We don’t expect you to do any magic’

The discussion started with Raghunandan putting his points in a witty manner that drew applause from the crowd. “We don’t expect you to do any magic, sir, but I request you to re-consider the veto power for ward committees given to councillor. Also, it would be great if you can amend the rules to disallow nomination of ward committee members by the corporators. If you do these two, the rest will fall in place,” said Raghunandan, addressing Vinay Kumar Sorake, Urban Development Minister, Karnataka.

Currently the Chief Minister has multiple roles to play. He is the chairman of Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA), and the finance minister, and is going to be the chairman of Metropolitan Planning Committee. “There’s a situation where CM is the member of everything and hands over files to himself, this situation has to be corrected,” said Raghunandan, adding that multiple roles will cause confusion and conflict of interest at some point of time, hence there is greater need for decentralisation of power.

Giving examples of how the government and people continue to ignore the legislation, Raghunandan gave the example of JNNURM scheme. No state has fulfilled the condition of citizen participation, still the Centre kept on giving funds, he said, adding that as long as Jaipal Reddy was the minister, he followed some conditions but Kamalnath did not follow any of them.

He also gave the example of Hyderabad where social audits worked excellently in case of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and eliminated the scope for corruption, stressing that citizen participation is the key in public administration.

‘Let the past be past, do something now’

Leo Saldanha, Coordinator of Environment Support Group, was aggressive in putting forward the reality. He asked the Minister what would be the legacy he would leave behind. He said that every politician left behind a legacy. Y M Ghorpade brought in Panchayat Raj system. Jagadish Shettar left behind a different kind of legacy where Mavallipura was used to dump trash by deploying 800-member police platoon, by the then-deputy chief minister and home minister Ashoka, Saldanha recalled.

The 74th amendment was done in 1992, which proposed ward committees for municipality areas. “Since then all the governments have ironed out the legislation. Citizenship is not a negotiation, it is the right of every citizen to assert the views. Do we need 22 years to get the legislation implemented right?” asked Saldanha, advocating that deep democratisation of urban municipalities should be done.

Saldanha also explained the background of the push to ward committees in recent days. In the aftermath of Mavallipura incident in 2012, Environment Support Group filed a writ petition in High Court of Karnataka. When the court asked why there was such a deep crisis, petitioners said it was because of bad governance, and ward committees don’t even exist. The justices asked then-BBMP commissioner Siddaiah to give the reason, he said the assembly has not passed the resolution. Finally the court asked the BBMP to form ward committees, and BBMP gave 10 names per ward in hurry and submitted to the court. After that there has not been any meeting by these committees, which Leo Saldanha termed, as an insult to democracy of India.

He also exposed the loopholes in the existing ward committee rules, and said even the Prime Minister of India doesn’t have veto power but a councillor has it. “These rules are not what you expect. These are ritualistic. Let the past be past. Now you have power to change the things. Last two decades were a dark age for democracy in the state. Now you can bring in the reforms. So please do it,” Saldanha requested the Minister, at the same time warning with a smile that “We are not going to keep quiet. We will hold you accountable.”

‘Ward committees should be inclusive’

Executive Director, COVA, Mazher Hussain explained the system existing in Hyderabad, where ward committees have been formed but not functional in some areas. He said his organisation has filed a petition in the court in this regard.

President of Slum Janandolana - Karnataka, Narasimha Murthy stressed on equitable participation for everyone including those living in slums, in the ward committee.

Other points reflected by the audience were:

• There has to be a lot more consultation on ward committees at zonal level in Bangalore and in all districts.
• Current clause says only registered voters can become ward committee members but in case of street vendors this rule can’t be followed, they should also be given a chance to join ward committees in the areas they work. Similarly all persons should be given a chance.
• There should be an age cut-off for becoming a ward committee member
• There should be a rule that 90% works recommended by ward committees should be approved and sanctioned on priority. Otherwise there will be no value to the decisions that ward committee takes.
• Ward committee meetings should take place regularly.
• Experts should be brought into ward committees.
• Avoid partiality in selection of ward committee members.

‘I’m committed to bringing in reforms’

The Minister, Vinaykumar Sorake attentively listened to all the points made by all panelists and citizens. In his 15-minute speech, he agreed in principle that the suggestions were good enough to be taken into consideration. He also explained the other side of the story, where no other municipality in the state has ward committees. Even in rural areas where the gram sabhas proposed by 73rd amendment are supposed to be functioned, “there are no meetings taking place, hence decisions are not being taken by gram sabhas. Many members of Panchayat have started asking ‘what’s in it for me.,’” he explained.

“I agree that corruption rules in the current system. Councillors are knowledgeable only about the what they can benefit from. They need awareness on how to increase the revenue and other issues. We have to take them into confidence and move forward,” said Sorake.

“Kerala has a vibrant system where people take part in governance. We are committed to bringing in the same system here,” promised Sorake. “Bangalore is under the Chief Minister, but I look after all other municipalities. I handle the ministry that makes the rules, and I’m committed to bringing in reforms,” he assured, and promised to call some of the organisers and panelists when he discusses the issue with officers. He added that no law can be implemented if there is no public support.

Talking about garbage crisis, he said six months was very tough to stick to. He indicated that there was also politics at play behind Mandur crisis, and said the government will directly go to the people of Mandur to solve the crisis.

‘Automated processes for transparency’

UDD Secretary T K Anilkumar said that transparency is possible by converting some key processes into automation and changing systems to process -driven systems. He gave the example of Bhoomi software and Bangalore One. He said he will work towards such systems which bring in transparency..

Kathyayini Chamaraj, trustee of CIVIC who had organised the panel discussion, said that the points discussed would be submitted to High Court on the upcoming hearing on ward committees, on July 17. In the beginning she also presented the background and the amendments proposed.

Budget 2014: NDA has reworked UPA’s schemes

Greetings to all, 

Focusing  the reality and  copied views of NDA Budget 2014.

"Welcome to the real world... BJP sought a mandate for Congress Mukt Bharat. My friend Arun Jaitley would have realized that it is not possible to have even a Congress Mukt Budget," -former finance minister P Chidambaram 

The theme that NDA had reworked UPA schemes formed the bedrock of  criticism of the Modi government's first Budget with Chidambaram saying Jaitley acknowledged the basic validity of the interim Budget's numbers for 2014-15. 

The "imprint of the UPA government's policies" on fiscal consolidation, GST, FDI cap in insurance and social sector schemes, Chidambaram said, could be found in Jaitley's speech. 

Chidambaram complimented Jaitley "for shunning election rhetoric" about the economy as well as the "uninformed diatribe" against UPA policies by some of his colleagues in the run-up to Budget day. 

Congress leader Manish Tewari criticized the Budget, saying, "There is no vision. There is no roadmap as to where exactly this government intends to take the country in economic and fiscal terms." 

Another Congress leader, Abhishek Manu Singhvi, described the Budget as a name-changer rather than a game-changer and said it was nothing but a continuation of old schemes. 

Despite raising expectations, the Budget has turned out to be a "missed opportunity" for BJP, they said as they begun by expressing apprehension that raising the tax exemption limit by Rs 50,000 was just "inadequate" when inflation was running high. 

Former commerce minister Anand Sharma termed the Budget "uninspiring and insipid" as it lacked a bold vision. "He (Jaitley) made a clear acknowledgement that given the precarious global economic situation, the UPA government left behind an economy which is healthy," said Sharma.

The Rajiv Gandhi Rural Electrification Scheme is now the Deendayal Upadhyaya Gram Jyoti Yojana — a change of the programme’s nomenclature from English to Hindi, and of its mascot from the former Prime Minister to one of the Jana Sangh’s icons.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, the signature tune of the past decade, received one small para in Jaitley’s address.

Instead, Jaitley announced a scheme called the “Shyama Prasad Mukherji Rurban Mission”, named after Syama Prasad Mookerjee, the founder of the BJP’s ideological parent Jana Sangh. The scheme is rooted in former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s idea of Providing Urban Amenities to Rural Areas (Pura).

The Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan, launched by the UPA as its flagship programme to improve sanitation in villages, will now be called the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, with a target to ensure a clean toilet in every Indian home by 2019, the 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.

http://www.telegraphindia.com/1140711/jsp/frontpage/story_18603752.jsp

http://www.hindustantimes.com/specials/coverage/unionbudget2014/budget2014/name-dropping-nehru-gandhi-make-way-for-nda-s-icons-in-budget/sp-article10-1238956.aspx

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/budget-2014/politics-of-budget/Budget-2014-NDA-has-reworked-UPAs-schemes-Congress/articleshow/38155176.cms

Udupi: Police Canteen Services Launched in District

Greetings to all, 

Udupi: The state Urban development minister Sri. Vinay Kumar Sorake Saturday, July 5 inaugurated police canteen services, similar to the army canteens, which would sell essential commodities to police personnel at subsidised prices at the Chandu Maidan here.

The products sold at police canteens will also have “KPC” certification to avoid misuse of the products. Policemen will be given a smart card. This will also help in maintaining a database on purchases, both monthly and yearly. The smart card will also have the photograph of the spouse of the policeman so that either one of them can visit the store for shopping. The scheme intends to deduct the bill amount from each users individual account, he said.

Inauguration of Day-long Tulu Fest 'Tulu Minadana Odipu-2014'

Greetings to all,

Sri. Vinay Kumar Sorake, minister for State Urban development and district minister in-charge inaugurated

the fest by lighting the traditional lamp. Shree Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji of Pejawar Math released the 620 page volume of Tulu Mahabharatha (the translation ofKumaravysa Bharatha) authored by S Devendra Pejatthaya on the occasion.

Speaking on the occasion minister Vinay Kumar Sorake said that Dharmadhikari Dr Veerendra Heggade started promoting tulu language by organizing various conventions through Tulu Sahitya Academy.

Tulu speaking people spread around the world are promoting the Tulu language through various

organizations. Tulunadu is known for its cultural diversity and rich cuisine which is famous across the globe. The Tulu Sahithya Academy is promoting the rich culture of Tulu by organizing various activities related toTulunadu.
Shree Vishwesha Theertha Swamiji of Pejawar Math speaking on the occasion said that one should respect his/her mother tongue. The development of our culture and heritage relies upon the development of our language. Tulu language is spoken by people irrespective of religion which shows its diversity.
Tulu Sahithya Academy president Janaki Brahmavar presided over the programme. Udupi MLA Pramod Madhwaraj, former MLA Raghupathi Bhat, Udupi zilla Panchayat president Upendra Nayak, DK and Udupi district fish sellers Federation president Yaspal Suvarna and others were present.

Speech by Shri. Vinay Kumar Sorake, Honourable Minister for Urban Development, Government of Karnataka at the Conclave of Ministers on “Urban Governance and Housing for all” : Opportunities and Challenges

Greetings to all,

Hon’ble Minister for Urban Development and Parliamentary Affairs, Government of India, Shri Venkaiah Naidu Ji, Secretary-Housing & Poverty Alleviation and Urban Development, Ministers from different States and friends.

 I would like to thank, the Urban Development Ministry and Government of India for all the support and assistance extended towards Karnataka State;

I take this opportunity to reaffirm the commitment of Karnataka State Government in its efforts in giving the Nation some of the best Urban Spaces for its citizens;

Karnataka is one of the major urbanized States in the country, with 2.36 crore urban residents spread across 213 urban local bodies. After the 2011 census, an additional 119 Rural Gram Panchayaths have been recommended to be upgraded to urban local bodies.

           Urbanization in Karnataka is expected to increase from present 38% to 50% by 2030. This presents an opportunity, as major part of the GDP will be contributed by the cities. This also presents a challenge with increasing pressure on Land, Infrastructure and urban services.

Bangalore is the fourth largest technology cluster in the world.  Bangalore contributes 30% of country’s IT exports.  In terms of GDP, Bangalore is the 4th city in the country.  Bangalore is the destination for more than 11% of FDI in the country. As per the estimates the overall infrastructure requirement is about Rs.1.25 lakh crore and immediate requirement  is Rs 93,041 crore.

     Nurturing growth of tier II cities is important not only for taking off urbanization pressures on mega-cities but also for the economic growth.     As per the estimate, our State’s tier II cities would require an infrastructure requirement of Rs.26,183 crore by 2030.

         In order to overcome the challenges of rapid urbanization, the State, has taken up various State level schemes;

     We are implementing Nagarothana for the development of urban infrastructure in city corporations and small & medium cities of the State.

            The State has established Karnataka Urban Infrastructure Development and Finance Corporation (KUIDFC), a special purpose vehicle, to act as a nodal agency for implementation and monitoring of projects which are being funded by multilateral agencies like World Bank, Asian Development Bank etc;

I am equally privileged to inform that; the State has initiated an extensive process of municipal reforms.  Computerization of urban local bodies and Accounting reforms has brought transparency in the governance and financial discipline;

          We are also planning to introduce the concept of Land Bank in all local bodies to speed up the Projects which are mainly pending due to Land Acquisition problems. 

        The current focus of the Government is mainly on water supply, sanitation and infrastructure development; All best efforts are being made by the State for innovative means of financing like accessing capital market, sourcing private sector funding etc. However, the same requires Central support supplemented by State funds;

The Central Government also needs to take initiative to build National level political consensus to bring about reforms like regulatory framework for urban services, governance and tax reforms involving constitutional and legislative measures.  We hope that Central Government sets up a robust institutional mechanism with active participation from States.  Needless to say, Karnataka will be in the forefront   of   these partnerships.

We are thankful to Government of India for extending its  support towards infrastructure development of cities under UIDSSMT of JnNURM to the extent of Rs.560 crore besides the Mission Cities of Bangalore and Mysore.

 I am proud to say that Karnataka has been ranked first in the country for overall implementation of JnNURM reforms; Under JnNURM, 67 Projects with an investment of Rs.4610 crore have been approved so far for both Bangalore and Mysore, of which, Rs.4071 crore has already been spent;

The State on its own has taken major initiative for providing housing for about 50,000 urban poor at an estimated cost of Rs. 920 crore under Vajapayee Housing Scheme.  The State is completing required ground work for Rajeev Awas Yojana and expects the Central Government to implement the scheme expeditiously. At present, Government of India has approved 25 proposals to the tune of Rs.1,346 crore. The spread and scope requires considerable expansion to make a significant difference. It is requested to cover more cities and towns with increased budget.

We appreciate the idea that has been initiated by the Central Government for development of 100 Smart Cities. We believe Karnataka is ideally placed to take this concept forward. We hope Karnataka will get at least 10 smart cities in this dream project.

The State is currently in the verge of developing innovative Solid Waste management solutions for at least 10 cities of the State, which can then be replicated for the entire State. This would require adequate central assistance along with the technical assistance for firming up the appropriate technology. 

Water crisis is the major issue in all developed cities.  We look forward a methodology from the Central Government where waste water can be recycled and reused effectively.     

         Town Planning Scheme is the important tool for Urban Development in the light of new Land Acquisition Act.  I hope, all State Governments look forward for Central Policy that this scheme will be used effectively. The State seeks Central assistance to open a new University in Urban Planning.  

We request the Hon’ble Minister of Urban Development to clear all the proposals submitted by my State. 

Urbanization is both a cause and consequence of development.  Sustaining 9% GDP target growth rate will require substantial investment in the cities as they will contribute maximum to it;

All of us need to work collectively towards this goal.

Thank you all.

Jay Hind; Jai Karnataka.