Leader of Opposition in Karnataka Assembly Jagdish Shettar today demanded the state government to immediately waive agricultural loan and take steps to address drought-related problems of farmers who he said were committing suicide due to "lethargic governance" under Chief Minister Sidddaramaiah.
"Due to lethargic governance, many welfare schemes announced by the Siddaramaiah government is not reaching farmers, which has resulted in farmers committing suicide in the wake of prevailing drought in the state.
"Keeping this in view, government should immediately waive agricultural loans and take adequate steps to address problems pertaining to drought," he said during a discussion on the prevailing drought situation in the Assembly.
Ridiculing Siddaramaiah, the former Chief Minister said: "Siddaramaiah is the luckiest CM. He would have been removed from his post long back. He is surviving even now. This is because of the weak high command. It doesn't want to ruffle one of the very few Congress governments surviving in the country."
Shettar said because of lethargic governance, Karnataka has been lagging ten years behind in terms of development.
He also lambasted the government for under utilising the central funds allocated for taking up drought-related works in the state.
"The central government has allocated Rs 1,500 crore for drought-related work, but the state has not even spent quarter of the amount," he said.
Shettar also flayed Siddaramaiah for not making alternative arrangements to tide over power shortage problem. Even after two-and-a-half years of Siddaramaiah's rule, there has not been any step taken to produce power, he claimed.
Energy demand in the state is between 9,000 to 10,000 mega watt, but supply is hovering around 5,300 mega watt, which is resulting in farmers not able to address drought-related problems, Shettar said.
