Need to regain lost glory of Karnataka: governor

Setting the agenda for the new Congress government, Governor H.R. Bhardwaj Monday said there was an urgent need to regain the lost glory and pride of Karnataka.

"In recent years, we have witnessed a decline in our treasured legacy of unity in diversity. Instead of going into reasons for such a state of affairs or blaming anyone, it is important to correct the damage in right earnest," Bhardwaj said in his address to the joint session of the state legislature.

Asserting that the people had voted for change, the governor regretted that in the past few years the state had been held in very low esteem on account of a large number of corruption cases.

"Public money has been swindled and developmental works have come to a halt. Consequently, people have lost faith in political parties. The growing public cynicism has proved detrimental to democratic traditions.

"My government is determined to regain the lost confidence of the people by ensuring a clean and accountable administration," Bhardwaj said.

Noting that a lax administration invariably paves way for corruption, he said the new Congress government would endeavour to provide an efficient, effective and transparent administration.

A centre for good governance and innovation will be set up to spearhead administrative reforms.

Similarly, computerised counselling will be extended across departments for fair and transparent transfer of officials.

E-governance initiatives such as mobile governance, e-district, e-procurement and citizen service centres will be promoted across the state.

"Equal importance will be given to developmental sectors. At one time in the past, Karnataka was a favoured destination for investors. This pride of place had suffered a setback due to political instability, corruption and scams.

"Global recession also contributed to slow down in industrial development. My government is competent to face these challenges.

"Healthy environment for industrial growth shall be created with a view to increasing employment by providing infrastructure such as land, power, water and other facilities," Bhardwaj said, speaking in English.

The governor said the infrastructure policy of 2007 would be reviewed and the public-private partnership (PPP) mode of implementation would be encouraged to create an investor-friendly environment across the state.