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Time of India
3 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
No big-ticket projects for the region, Nandi Hills cabinet meeting postponed
Bengaluru: The govt has postponed the much-anticipated cabinet meeting scheduled to be held at Nandi Hills on Thursday, allegedly due to the absence of significant projects to announce for Bengaluru Rural, Chikkaballapur, and Kolar districts. Instead, the cabinet will convene at the Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru, following regular protocol. Sources say a key reason behind the last-minute change in venue was lack of approval from the finance department for several proposed projects for the region. Only a limited number of items had been listed on the original agenda, including a Rs 36 crore proposal for a new lake in Chintamani taluk, rejuvenation of 45 lakes in Sidlaghatta and 119 in Chintamani taluks under HN Valley-II Stage, costing an estimated Rs 237 crore. The cabinet was also expected to deliberate on a proposal to rename Bagepalli town to Bagyanagar. "Finance department concurrence was not received for the proposed projects, so the meeting at Nandi Hills has been deferred," said an official from the chief minister's office. The postponement has sparked disappointment among locals and lawmakers who were hoping for long-term solutions to the region's persistent water problems. Congress legislators from the three districts, besides activists, urged the govt to bring meaningful projects to the table and address the region's critical needs. In a letter to chief secretary Shalini Rajneesh, the Shashwata Neeravari Horata Samiti — a local organization focused on irrigation and water issues — highlighted decades-long water scarcity in the area. The group had requested that the Nandi Hills cabinet meeting include discussions on phased water treatment under the KC and HN Valley projects, lake rejuvenation plans, and progress on the long-pending Yettinahole project. "We were ready to protest if our issues were not addressed at the meeting. Now it feels like the govt cancelled it because they had no concrete solutions to offer," said Reddy, a member of the Samiti. BJP MP from Chikkaballapur, K Sudhakar, also voiced his dissatisfaction over the cancellation. "I had high expectations for our region from this cabinet meeting," he said. "The govt must urgently fund the three-stage water treatment under the KC and HN Valley projects and allocate at least Rs 1,000 crore to accelerate the Yettinahole project." Meanwhile, Congress MLAs have reportedly pressed the govt to discuss additional regional development plans, including the proposed international flower market in Chikkaballapur, a water project for Bagepalli, and increased funding for road infrastructure. No new date has been announced for a cabinet session dedicated to the region, leaving many locals uncertain about when their long-standing issues will be addressed.
Indian Express
12-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Why Andhra Pradesh & Karnataka are fighting over mangoes
By an order issued by the district collector of Chittoor on June 7, the Andhra Pradesh government has banned the entry of juicy Totapuri mangoes from other states into Chittoor district, a decision that has put it at loggerheads with neighbouring Karnataka. Karnataka Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, in a letter dated June 10, and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, in a letter dated June 11, have asked their Andhra Pradesh counterparts — K Vijayanand and N Chandrababu Naidu, respectively — to roll back the order said to be causing significant distress to mango farmers in Karnataka. A juicy mango Totapuri, also known as Bangalore or Sandersha, is a mango cultivar grown in the bordering districts of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu. I have written to Andhra Pradesh CM Shri @ncbn requesting him to withdraw the ban on the entry of Totapuri Mangoes from Karnataka into Chittoor district. This ban hurts thousands of farmers and traders. Cooperation between states is vital for the prosperity of our people. — Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) June 12, 2025 Known for their elongated shape and distinct parrot beak-like tip (hence 'Totapuri'), the variety is valued for its juice and pulp. Totapuri mangoes are used aplenty in mango drinks manufactured and distributed across the country. Food and beverage processors, including multinational companies, buy these mangoes directly from farmers. Notably, Andhra Pradesh's Chittoor district is home to several mango processing and pulp extraction companies that procure Totapuri mangoes from local markets. District officials, with the support of revenue, forest, marketing and police departments, have banned Totapuri mangoes from Karnataka entering Chittoor. The reason: the mangoes from Karnataka are cheaper than ones being grown in Andhra Pradesh. 'Every year, the Andhra government announces the price at which processors should purchase Totapuri mangoes,' an Andhra Pradesh government source told The Indian Express. 'This year the state government has announced the price at Rs 8 per kg. Keeping in mind the low price and high supplies the government has agreed to provide an additional Rs 4 per kg to the farmers,' the source said. In Karnataka, however, the price is just Rs 5 to Rs 6 per kg, the Andhra Pradesh government claims. 'If we allow [Karnataka] mangoes to reach the Andhra Pradesh market, the processors will prefer these mangoes over ones grown in the state, which are priced higher. This will plunge Andhra farmers into distress,' the AP government source said. With 5.5 lakh tones expected to be procured, the government is set to spend around Rs 220 crore on these mangoes An escalating standoff 'This abrupt and unilateral move has caused considerable hardship to mango growers in Karnataka, particularly those in the border regions who cultivate Totapuri mangoes in substantial quantities. These farmers have long relied on robust linkages with Chittoor-based processing and pulp extraction units for marketing their produce,' said Siddaramaiah, adding that the ban 'is contrary to the spirit of cooperative federalism'. He further said: 'The current restriction has disrupted this well-established supply chain and threatens significant post-harvest losses, directly impacting the livelihoods of thousands of farmers'. Chief Secretary Rajneesh's letter echoed similar concerns. Notably, both letters said that Karnataka farmers may take retaliatory measures, including blocking of vegetable and other agricultural commodities' sales across the border from Andhra Pradesh to Karnataka, which would 'escalate inter-state tensions,' Rajneesh wrote. This standoff comes in the context of the two neighbouring states being ruled by parties sitting across the aisle in Parliament: while the Congress is in power in Karnataka, the Andhra Pradesh government is headed by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), a key ally in the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre. So far, the Andhra Pradesh government has not officially responded to the letters from Karnataka.
The Hindu
11-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Karnataka Chief Secretary writes to her Andhra Pradesh counterpart requesting to allow Totapuri mangoes from State
Chief Secretary of Karnataka Shalini Rajneesh has written to her counterpart in Andhra Pradesh requesting him to revoke the ban on entry of Totapuri mango from other States into that State. With Kolar, the major mango growing district in Karnataka, sharing the border with Andhra Pradesh, mango farmers there are heavily reliant on the processing units in Chittoor. The Andhra Pradesh government decided to impose this ban to support the Totapuri growers of the State as the production has been more than the capacity of the processing units. It has also declared a support price of ₹4 for a kg of totapuri mango. Talking to The Hindu, Ms. Rajneesh said, 'I wrote the letter following the protest of farmers in Kolar and the report of the Deputy Commissioner.' In her letter to K. Vijayanand, Chief Secretary, Andhra Pradesh, she said, 'This abrupt and unilateral restriction has caused significant distress to mango farmers in Karnataka, particularly those in the border districts who cultivate large volumes of Totapuri mangoes and rely heavily on the Chittoor-based processing units for marketing their produce. Disruption of this long-established inter-State trade linkage poses immediate threats to their livelihoods and may result in substantial post-harvest losses.' She added, 'Beyond the economic hardship to farmers, such a move undermines the spirit of cooperative federalism and risks triggering retaliatory sentiments. There is already apprehension that affected stakeholders in Karnataka may obstruct vegetable inflows from Andhra Pradesh, escalating into unnecessary inter-State tensions, something we must all strive to avoid.' However, mango farmers from Kolar district said that with the highly reduced quality and quantity of the mango yield this year, taking it to the processing centres does not make much difference. 'We are selling Totapuri at ₹4 a kg (₹4,000 a tonne) while we incur a cost of ₹10-₹12 a kg to grow it. Even if we are allowed to take it to Andhra Pradesh, we will not get any better price,' said Neelaturu Chinnappa Reddy, president of the Kolar District Mango Growers' Association. Farmers of Kolar, especially Srinivasapur taluk, have been demanding a mango processing unit there for many years. 'It has been our longstanding demand, as the lack of a unit here has made us overly reliant on those in Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Government after government has failed to set it up,' Mr. Reddy said. Farmers in Srinivasapur observed a taluk-level bandh on Wednesday, demanding a support price for mangoes. Due to weather vagaries and diseases, the mango yield has dropped to less than 30% this year, according to farmers.
The Hindu
31-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Siddaramaiah directs CS to issue notices to DDPIs for poor show in SSLC results
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday ordered the issue of notices to the Deputy Directors of Public Instruction (DDPIs) in districts where the pass percentage in the SSLC examination in 2025 was below 60. Mr. Siddaramaiah, who continued the review of progress of all department works for the second day on Saturday with all Deputy Commissioners and zilla panchayat chief executive officers (CEOs), asked Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh to issue notices to the DDPIs. 'If their replies are not satisfactory, initiate further action against them,' the Chief Minister told Ms. Rajneesh. The DDPIs head the Education Department in districts and their supervisory role is vital in ensuring higher pass percentage of students. Kalyana Karnataka The pass percentage of students in government schools in the 2025 SSLC exam was below 60 in many districts. The seven districts of Kalyana Karnataka region recorded a dismal show in the examination, occupying the lowest ranks in the State. Of the bottom seven districts, six belong to the Kalyana Karnataka region, while the seventh, Vijayapura, from the Kittur Karnataka region, ranked 34th, just one place above the last. Kalaburagi district has slipped to the bottom — 35th rank — with a pass percentage of just 42.43, far below the State average of 66.14%. Kalaburagi's decline has been consistent over the past three years, dropping from 29th place in 2023 to 34th in 2024, and now 35th in 2025. The pass percentage in Vijayapura was 49.58, Yadgir 51.6, Raichur 52.05, Bidar 53.25, and Koppal 57.32. Notably, none of the 22 students in the State who achieved a perfect score of 625 out of 625 are from the Kalyana Karnataka region. Despite continued efforts by the Department of Public Instruction and the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board (KKRDB), the region continues to lag behind others in educational outcomes. Noting good results in Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts, in contrast, the Chief Minister asked officials not to give excuses like teacher shortage. Mr. Siddaramaiah asked officials in the backward Kalyana Karnataka region to provide extra attention to SSLC results. He said a sum of ₹906.64 crore was released to build new classrooms under the Viveka scheme. He questioned the Deputy Commissioners of districts where classrooms have not been completed despite fund release. 'Why are DCs not showing interest?' he asked. Visit schools 'The DDPIs should shoulder their responsibilities seriously. The DDPIs, along with secretaries in charge of districts, must visit schools and review the performance of teachers. 'If teachers and the DDPIs show interest, then good results can be achieved,' the Chief Minister said. Noting the falling admissions in government schools, he said, 'This is not a good development. The government is supplying eggs, milk, ragi malt, and soap, and providing hostel facility. Still, why are admissions falling?' he sought to know. Mr. Siddaramaiah said there was a need for teachers and officials to hold talks with parents and stop students from dropping out from schools.
Hindustan Times
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Issue notices to edu officers of districts with low pass percentage: Siddaramaiah to Chief Secy
Bengaluru, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday instructed that notices be issued to Deputy Directors of Public Instruction in districts where the pass percentage in the Secondary School Leaving Certificate /Class 10 exams is below 60 per cent. At the review meeting with Deputy Commissioners of all districts and CEOs of all Zilla Panchayats here, the CM asked Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh to issue notices to DDPIs. "If the response given to the notice is not satisfactory, action should be taken against them," Siddaramaiah was quoted as telling officers, his office said in a release. Asking officials not to make the excuse of teacher shortage or staff shortage for the low results in SSLC, he said good results are coming only in Dakshina Kannada and few other districts. "DDPIs must take responsibility. They, along with secretaries in charge of districts, must visit schools and review the performance of teachers and DDPIs work with interest, good results will come everywhere," he said. Noting that there should be no delay in allocating funds for the construction of schoolrooms under the Viveka scheme, the CM said the action plan should be prepared immediately. He questioned the DCs as to why the schoolrooms had not been constructed yet, even after the money was released. Pointing out that the enrollment rate at government schools is decreasing every year, Siddaramaiah said teachers and officials should talk to parents so that the enrollment rate of children in government schools does not decrease, and everything possible should be done to prevent dropouts. "Why is the enrollment rate of children decreasing despite the government providing eggs, milk, ragi malt, soup, and hostel facilities?" he asked and told the officials to take necessary steps to resolve the problems by getting information about their practical experiences and taking necessary action. The CM instructed the CEOs and DCs and District in-charge secretaries of the districts whose examination results and child enrollment to schools are lower than the state average, to ensure that the situation improves by the next academic year. CEOs of Kalyana Karnataka region districts should pay more attention and monitor this matter. The reasons and excuses for the low results are not important, it is important to bring results, he said. The CM told them that if there is sincere effort, sincere results will come.
