The state government plans to raise the annual production of iron ore from the present 15 million tonnes to over 23 million tonnes before next March, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said on Friday.
While delivering his Independence Day speech at the Manekshaw Parade Ground here, Siddaramaiah promised to place the state’s new Mineral Policy 2014 in public domain soon. He said the ‘C’ category mines in Bellary, Chitradurga and Tumkur would be auctioned as per Supreme Court guidelines.
Disclosing that in the last four months the government has earned a revenue of Rs 216.80 crore through the sale of 7.8 lakh metric tonnes of iron ore, he said the state has embarked on e-auctioning of iron and manganese ore. He said the government is committed to bring to an end the menace of illegal mining, and the Goonda Act has been amended to bring all mineral and sand-related crimes under its ambit.
Siddaramaiah said the government favoured the setting up of units to produce manufactured sand because of non-availability of river sand. Granite mining lease would be extended to 50 acres, and the lease contract period raised to 20 years.
Using the occasion to highlight various measures taken by his government after coming to power in May 2013, he said during this period, about 25,966 micro, small and medium industries came up with a total investment of Rs 2,850 crore, creating over 1.67 lakh jobs.
The government has approved 43 proposals for setting up major and medium industries involving an investment of Rs15,034.63 crore since January this year.
He added that to boost the farming sector, the government has taken several initiatives, including encouraging organic farming. The ‘Suvarna Bhagya’ scheme has been implemented in over 571 hoblis, covering more than 57,100 hectares.
The government has also set up the Agriculture Price Commission, made amendments to the Sugarcane Act, launched a soil health test drive, established service centres for farmers, and offered interest-free loans up to Rs 3 lakh for them, he said.
Maintaining that there was no compromise on the commitment to enforce social justice, Siddaramaiah said the main thrust of the government’s social justice policy is building a society based on equality.
Senior officials like Chief Secretary Kaushik Mukherjee, DG and IG of state police Lalrokhuma Pachau, City Police Commissioner M N Reddi and BBMP Commissioner M Lakshminarayana were present.
PEOPLE ASKED TO UNITE AGAINST CRIME
BANGALORE: Expressing deep regret over the rising number of atrocities against women in the state, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday called for a “social movement” to protect and safeguard women.
He said the task cannot be achieved by the government alone. He expressed shock over the fact that most of such atrocities are being committed by friends and relatives of the victims. He said the government would do everything in its power to stop sex crimes and is committed to strengthening legislations on the same. “We recently amended the Goonda Act and 10 special courts have been set up for speedy disposal of cases. The police have been instructed to deal with the culprits mercilessly,” he said.
Referring to the recent cases of atrocities reported from schools and colleges, the chief minister said the institution, irrespective of whether it is government-owned or private, would be held responsible.
Source: http://www.newindianexpress.com/