K’taka has one of the lowest unemployment rates in country says CM BSY to PM

Bengaluru: Karnataka has been able to maintain ”one of the lowest” unemployment rates in the country at 3.6 per cent, Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa told PrimeMinister Narendra Modi on Saturday.

The Chief Minister also requested the Prime Minister to declare Upper Bhadra Project and Upper Krishna Project as national projects.

Speaking during the virtual meeting of the NITI Aayog chaired by Modi, he said despite the COVID-19 pandemic all the fiscal indicators of the State have been contained within the limits of the Karnataka Fiscal Responsibility Act, 2002.

”The Prime Minister was briefed about the initiatives taken by the State for industrial development such as New Industrial Policy 2020-2024, affidavit-based clearance system, steps taken to promote exports, MoUs made with e-commerce players like Amazon and Flipkart to boost marketing of local products etc,” the CMO said in a statement.

The Chief Minister also listed various farmer and farm sector-related initiatives like setting up of a taskforce to promote integrated farming system, making Farmers Contact Centres as a single point of contact for region-specific input supplies and advisories and also regarding conserving local breeds of cattle.

According to the statement, the government intends to set up a scientific marketing intelligence cell in order to shift focus on income-based policy to increase farmers income.

It is also intended to create an online marketing platform for surplus fruits and vegetables supported by infrastructure facilities under the Atmanirbhar scheme.

The State government plans to follow NITI Aayog’s 49 aspirational indicators to monitor the progress of 114 backward taluks, Yediyurappa said.

”Under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, 3,409 hospitals have enrolled, which is the maximum in the country. Under Atmanirbhar Scheme, we have proposed to create super-speciality treatment facilities in government hospitals in district centres,” Yediyurappa said.

The government will focus on improving nutritional status in 67 taluks in 16 districts, he added.

During the meeting, the chief minister also requested the Centre to approve 6 proposals worth Rs 6,673 crore under modernisation of canals project and additional grants were also sought for river diversion projects.

It was also requested to set up a mechanism to fast track disposal of litigation in courts as infrastructure projects are hampered due to litigation and environmental protests, the statement said.

The Centre was also requested to provide Rs 4,300 crore to create an optical fibre network to provide network connectivity to all government offices.