Three days after taking oath, portfolios allotted; Kota gets Muzarai, Ports and Inland Water Transport

[email protected] (CD Network, Photos by Suresh Vamanjoor)
July 15, 2012

portfolio


Bangalore, July 15: Karnataka Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar Sunday allotted portfolios to his ministers, three days after forming the cabinet, but the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party faced fresh trouble from those denied ministerial berths.

Shettar and BJP leaders have played safe by allotting the same portfolios to 21 ministers who held them in the D.V. Sadananda Gowda government which fell last Wednesday due to dissidence. The portfolio distribution was delayed because of hectic lobbying by the ministers, backed by the factions they belong to, for plum departments.

The issue was finally resolved late Saturday after Shettar met BJP chief Nitin Gadkari and party senior leaders L.K. Advani, Sushma Swaraj and Arun Jaitley in New Delhi. However, there seemed to be no respite for either Shettar or BJP from the dissidence rocking the party since it came to power for the first time in the state in May 2008.

A group of around 20 party legislators, upset over denial of ministries, Saturday demanded that Shettar drop from the cabinet "tainted ministers" and also members of the legislative council.

"There are several ministers against whom cases have been registered. Why keep them in the cabinet when our leaders asked B.S. Yeddyurappa to quit when a case was filed against him," Belur Gopalakrishna, legislator from Shimoga, about 250km north of Bangalore, told reporters here.

The ministers fighting cases of corruption and illegal land deals include V. Somanna (housing), Murugesh Nirani (industries), C. P. Yogeshwar (forests) and C. T. Ravi (education). Somanna, Nirani and Yogeshwar were ministers in the Gowda cabinet also while Ravi has become the minister for the first time.

Two days back Governor H.R. Bhardwaj told reporters that BJP leaders had ignored his advice to keep out of the ministry legislators facing cases. Yeddyurappa, BJP's first chief minister in the state, was forced to quit last July following mining bribery charges. Gowda took over last August but bowed out last Wednesday following a campaign orchestrated by Yedyurappa.

Gopalakrishna and other upset legislators have been meeting under the leadership of former minister G. Karunakara Reddy in Bangalore for the last three days to decide on a strategy to pressure the BJP leadership to accept their demands.

Karunakara, brother of former minister and jailed mining baron G. Janardhana Reddy, told reporters that "all 21 of us will decide what we should do. We are still discussing. We will announce the decision July 18 or 19". The assembly session to pass the state budget for 2012-13 is to begin July 19, the day when the voting in the presidential polls will also take place.

There is speculation that these legislators could create problem for the Shettar government if the party does not placate them. The budget has to be passed by July 30. State BJP chief and one of the two new deputy chief ministers K. S. Eshwarappa said efforts were on to win over these legislators.

He indicated to reporters in Bellary, about 300 kms north of Bangalore, that these legislators will be offered chairmanship of government run corporations and boards. Shettar, like most of the chief ministers of Karnataka, retained finance and intelligence wing. He will also look after, among several other departments, minority welfare and information technology and biotechnology.

Eshwarappa will hold the revenue department, rural development and panchayat raj, which Shettar looked after in the Gowda ministry. Another deputy minister R. Ashoka will continue to preside over home and transport departments, the two portfolios he had in the Gowda cabinet. A Raj Bhavan communique said the governor had allotted the portfolios on the recommendation of the chief minister.

Following are the portfolios of Karnataka ministers

Jagadish Shettar, Chief Minister- Department of Cabinet Affairs, Department of Personnel andAdministrative Reforms.Department of Finance including Institutional Finance andexcluding Excise, Small Saving & Lotteries. Intelligence Wing from Home Department;All subjects pertaining to Bangalore City from Urban Development Department-excluding BWSSB. Information from Kannada and Culture, Information & Tourism Department. Mines and Geology from Commerce & Industries Department. Minority Welfare from Social Welfare Department.IT-BT from IT, BT and Science & Technology Department. Any otherDepartment not specifically allocated.

K.S.Eshwarappa, Deputy Chief Minister: Revenue Department Excluding Haj & Wakfs and Muzarai; Rural Development and Panchayat Raj including Rural Development Engineering Department and Rural Water Supply & Sanitaion.

R Ashoka, Deputy Chief Minister: Transport Department. Home Department excluding Intelligence Wing and Prisons.

Govind M. Karjol: Minor Irrigation from Water Resources Department. Kannada and Culture from Kannada and Culture,Information & Tourism Department.

R. Suresh Kumar: Law, Justice and Human Rights; Parliamentary Affairs; Legislature. Urban Development Department-7 City Corporations outside Bangalore; KUWS&DB, KUIDFC, Directorate of Town Planning; Directorate of Land Transport,Urban Development Authorities excluding subjects pertaining to Bangalore City but including BWSSB and excluding CMCs, TMCs, TPs and Local Bodies.

C.M.Udasi: Public Works Department excluding ports and Inland Water Transport Department.

Visweswara Hegde Kageri: Primary and Secondary Education from Education Department excluding Mass Education and Public Libraries.

Umesh Vishwanath Katti: Agriculture Department. Basavaraj Bommai- Major and medium irrigation from Water Respurces Department. Murugesh Nirani- Large and Medium- scale industries from Commerce and Industries Department.

V.Somanna- Housing Department

Shobha Karandlaje- Energy Department

B.N.Bachhegowda- Labour Department; Sericulture from Horticulture Department

M.P.Renukacharaya- Excise from Finance Department

C.P. Yogishwar- Forest from Forest, Ecology & Environment Department.

S.A. Ravindranath: Sugar from Commerce & Industries Department; Horiculture Department.

R.N. Belamagi- Mass Education and Public Libraries from Education Department; Small Savings and Lotteries from Finance Department.Animal Husbandry from Animal Husbandry & Fisheries Department

Balachandra Jarkiholi-Municipalities and Local Bodies (CMCs, TMCs and TPs) from Urban Development Department, Department of Public Enterprises

S.A.Ramdas- Medical Education from Heath & Family Welfare Department

Asnotikar Anand Vasant- Fisheries from Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Department, Science and Technology from IT,BT S&T Department.

A.Narayanaswamy- Social Welfare Department excluding Minorities Welfare, Prisons from Home Department

R.Varthur Prakash- Textiles from Commerce & Industries Department

Sogudu Shivanna- Ecology and Environment Department, Planning Department, Statistics Department

C.T.Ravi- Higher Education from Education Department

D.N.Jeevaraj- Food and Civil Supplies Department

S.K.Bellubbi- Haj & Wakfs from revenue Department. Agriculture Marketing from co-operation Department. Aravind Limbavali- Health and Family Welfare Department excluding Medical Education

B.J.Puttaswamy- Co-operation Department excluding Agriculture Marketing

Anand Singh- Tourism From Kannada and Culture, Information and Tourism Department.

Kalakappa Gurushanthappa Bandi- Women and Child Development Department

Kota Srinivasa Poojary-Muzarai from Revenue Department. Ports and Inland Water Transport from Public Works

Appachu Ranjan- Youth Services and Sports Department

Sunil Vallyapure- Infrastructure Development Department

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News Network
September 14,2024

Mangaluru: The block level and District Congress Committee presidents in the state will be changed in the next one month for better reach into society and bring in organisational fortification, said Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee working president G C Chandrasheker on Saturday.

The All India Congress Committee and KPCC have a vision for bringing a change in how the party works with the last man and woman in the state, he said at a press conference here.

"We are looking at bringing development models into the state with a new vision. We are a party that likes to work with the opposition in the developmental aspects and keep all other matters away that do not relate to the development of the state.

"We have a great respect for the people of the coast who are considered to be forward-looking and perceptible, but it is also true that we do not have the numbers in the upper house and in the Urban Local Bodies (ULBs)," he said.

"Our endeavour is to not only create a strong pro-development workforce at the base level by strengthening the second and third level leadership in the state," he said.

Chandrasheker, who is also a Rajya Sabha member, said that he and his four colleagues of the rank of working presidents of the KPCC are going to every district to infuse the new thinking in our workers and leaders.

"This move will get a new surge considering the party is facing byelections in Shiggaon, Chennapatna and Sandhur segments and also vacant seats in the legislative council, followed by elections to the Urban Local Bodies and Panchayats" he said.

When asked about the reason for the changes, Chandrashekar said most of the people have already lived their tenures. The party wants to reward those who have not been given tickets to contest in the 2023 state assembly elections and 2024 Lok Sabha elections for political reasons.

There are quite good leaders and hard-working ground level workers who have great potential to lead the party in the coming years, he said.

"Women will get at least one top post in all District Congress Committees and block levels. There is also a move to give responsible positions for the workers and leaders coming from different strata of society, which are deliverable. The party will not shy away from it," he said.

The other two working presidents, Dr Manjunath Bhandary and Vasanth Kumar, were also present at the press conference.

Kumar said some of the regions in the state are dominated by the BJP. "We want to end this run and defeat the divisive models of the BJP." Bhandary said the Indian National Congress was aiming at a high development phase in the state and involve the opposition parties and their leaders in the development plans in the state. 

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September 17,2024

Kalaburagi: Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara on Tuesday said that alleged role of "outsiders" belonging to the banned Popular Front of India (PFI) in the violence at Nagamangala will be examined and action taken based on the probe report.

Clashes broke out between two groups during a Ganesh idol procession in the town in Mandya district following which mobs went on a rampage targeting several shops and vehicles leading to tension on September 11 night.

"Everything will be examined, investigation will be done, on getting the report we will decide. We will not protect anyone, and unnecessarily no one will be punished. We will look into the facts based on the inquiry report and take action accordingly," Parameshwara told reporters here.

He noted that two officials -- Deputy Superintendent of Police and Inspector -- have already been suspended, and added that further action will be taken based on the report.

The Minister said the government has taken the Nagamangala violence seriously and there is no question of taking such incidents lightly. "BJP makes such allegations, but we too have responsibility, we don't take anything lightly."

On allegations that "outsiders" were involved in the violence, Parameshwara said if inquiry reveals complicity of such elements, it would be examined and action taken accordingly.

Regarding claims that those belonging to the banned PFI were involved, he said: "It will be known from the probe."

On demand for a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe into Nagamangala violence by BJP which alleged "failure" of state's home department, Parameshwara said: "they keep saying such things, we will not listen to all that."

According to police, an argument had broken out between two groups, when the procession by devotees from Badri Koppalu village reached a place of worship on September 11, and some miscreants hurled stones, which escalated the situation.

Following the clashes between the two groups, a few shops were vandalised and goods torched and vehicles set on fire, they added.

To allegations from some BJP leaders that the party MLA Munirathna was arrested "hurriedly", Parameshwara said, police acted after the complaint was given, "what's wrong in that?"

Munirathna, who represents Rajarajeshwari Nagar Assembly segment here, was picked up from Nangli village in Kolar’s Mulbagal on Saturday evening on charges of harassing a Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) contractor for bribe, casteist slurs on a former corporator, and also cheating, criminal intimidation and insulting a woman’s modesty.

Asked about "illegal items" seized from the prison here recently by officials, he said an investigation has begun on this.

When a photo of actor Darshan Thoogudeepa, who was lodged in Parappana Agrahara Prison here, hanging out with other inmates surfaced recently, action was taken based on the probe report and eleven officials were suspended.

"I will look into recent seizures made too and action will be taken; also probe is on at other prisons in the state and action will follow if anything wrong is found," the Minister added.

Police raided the high-security wing of Parappana Agrahara Central Prison here on Saturday and seized smartphones and other illegal goods.

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September 12,2024

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Mysuru: More than 50 people have been arrested in connection with the riots between two groups of different faiths, at Nagamangala town, Mandya district, over the Ganesha idol procession, on Wednesday night.

High drama prevailed in front of the Nagamangala town police station on Thursday morning, with women belonging to both Hindu and Muslim communities staging a protest against the arrest of their family members and demanding their release.

The two groups started arguing over the Ganesha idol procession on the Mysuru-Nagamangala road, near a 'dargah'. This soon turned violent with stone being pelted. Reports said that around 25 shops were also set on fire.

Several vehicles were damaged and torched by the mob. However, police intervened and brought the situation under control, deploying additional police forces.

Holiday has been declared to schools and colleges in Nagamangala town until further notice. Police have imposed section 144 till 12 noon of September 14.

SP Mallikarjuna Baladandi, IGP (Southern Range) Boralingaiah, DC Kumar and other officials visited the spot.

District incharge Minister N Chaluvarayaswamy visited the spot on Thursday morning and took stock of the situation. Speaking to reporters he said, the incident was unfortunate.

"The clash which started around 9 pm on Wednesday, flared up with miscreants setting fire, damaging shops and vehicles in the town. There is no need for anxiety. Additional police forces have been deployed in the town and the situation is under control now," he said.

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