State seeks special package from Centre

A 20-member delegation from Karnataka today met Union mome minister P Chidambaram and demanded special incentives for its five districts.

The delegation including senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandez and president of Hyderabad-Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industry Umakant Naigudi asked the home minister to give special economic packages for the development of Gulbarga, Bidar, Raichur, Koppal and Yadagir districts of Karnataka.

Yadgir has recently been carved out as the 30th district of Karnataka. It came into existence on December 30, 2009.

“The meeting was satisfactory. We have demanded the package for the districts under the Constitutional provisions,” Fernandez told reporters after the meeting.

The meeting was held at the Home Minister’s office in North Block here. “A package is necessary as these five districts are socially and economically more backward as compared to the other parts of Karnataka,” Naigudi said. However, he clarified the demand was only for the special provision and “not” for separate statehood.

Meanwhile, chief minister B S Yeddyurappa said today he would visit New Delhi on January 13 to discuss with the Union government officials matters relating to the proposed implementation of goods and services tax (GST) and other issues.

He was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a civil-military liasion conference here to discuss subjects relating to the military and civil matters in the state. Presiding over the conference, attended by defence officials, he said his government was committed to resolving issues related to military and civil matters on a priority basis.

Noting that some of the unresolved matters have continued for many years, he said: “I have directed the state government officials to take keen interest on such issues and resolve them at the earliest”. Yeddyurappa assured that the state government would extend full support to the military and solve the issues on a priority basis.