Government ignoring Nanjundappa committee recommendations

Government ignoring Nanjundappa committee recommendations
The Hindu

HUBLI: The recommendations of the High-Power Committee on the Removal of Regional Imbalances, popularly known as the Nanjundappa committee, have yet to be implemented by the Government.

Chief Minister N. Dharam Singh said in Hubli on Monday that the recommendations of the Nanjundappa committee hold the key to the development of north Karnataka, and the State Government is committed to implementing them.

However, his words are at variance with the track record of his Government and that of his predecessor. Both have chosen to pay lip-service to the issue rather than make a serious attempt to implement the recommendations.

No follow-up action

The committee submitted its report four years ago to the S.M. Krishna Government. The initiative taken by the Government to tackle the issue had earned him praise from the people of north Karnataka.

But they were in for disappointment when Mr. Krishna started ignoring the findings of the committee. Mr. Krishna initially maintained a studious silence and later quoted financial constraints as the reasons for not taking up the issue.

The lack of interest was obvious from the Government's reluctance to take follow-up action on the report.

The Government did not even ask the district administrations to prepare plans of action based on the recommendations and indicate a possible investment in the Budget.

The report was a clinical document that quantified what appeared to be a mere sentimental issue.

Though it was expected that the committee would go into the grievances of north Karnataka, it analysed the entire State on the issue of backwardness and categorised taluks into three groups — developed, backward and most backward — before undertaking a sector-wise identification of lack of development.

Additional investment

The report called for an additional investment of Rs. 2,000 crores a year for a seven-year period to bridge the gap in development.

These funds would have to be in addition to the usual investment, the report said. Another feature of the report was that it had been prepared keeping in view the administrative requirements of the taluks. The State Government chose to post a senior IAS officer as the Development Commissioner for north Karnataka, as recommended by the committee.

Though an official was posted to Belgaum, his responsibilities and financial powers remained vague.

Special assistance

Mr. Dharam Singh sought to equate the recommendations of the committee with the demand for special assistance to Hyderabad Karnataka under Article 371 of the Constitution and said that the Union Government would be approached to sanction the required funds.

The Government's move to industrially develop 39 most backward taluks is attributed to the recommendations of the Nanjundappa committee.

However, it has ignored the fact that the committee had recommended the development of the region as a whole and not of individual sectors.

Even the World Bank-assisted programme for the development of north Karnataka towns is being trotted as part of the plan to implement the Nanjundappa committee report.