Promises kept and broken

Promises kept and broken
6 Sep 2008, 0522 hrs IST, Rishikesh Bahadur Desai,TNN

BANGALORE: The first BJP government in the South came to power with a lot of promises that aimed at making Karnataka the number one state in the country . Most of them found a place in chief minister B S Yeddyurappa's budget. In his first meeting with officers, he said the implementation of these promises would begin in the first 100 days. However , only a few promises have been translated into action.
Yeddyurappa promised a 10-point agenda for Karnataka's development, which would achieve a 9% growth in the next five years. This included massive investments in the service sector, steady growth of infrastructure and doubling agriculture growth to 4% from the present 2%. However, this does not seem easy as growth rate remains at 7% and farm sector growth rate refuses to move upwards from 2%.
The government has not kept pace with people's expectations in three broader areas - implementing programmes and schemes, forming policies and constituting authorities and commissions.
SCHEMES THAT FAILED TO TAKE OFF
"Tayi Bhagya' ' - an integrated healthcare scheme in which the government foots the bills of treatment of BPL mothers in government and private hospitals. It was to start in six north Karnataka districts and Chamarajanagar where maternal mortality rate is high. However, hospitals in these districts have not started offering the benefits.
"Samruddha Hasiru Grama Yojane'' - afforestation programme through community participation. Forest officials say they have not decided whether it should be done through the panchayats or NGOs.
"Mahatma Gandhi Govu Aadharitha Grama Udyoga' ' - to help farmers get remunerative prices for cow dung and urine. The department of animal husbandry is yet to prepare a draft plan for the programme . A special scheme to conserve and develop places from where rivers originate - no details announced, not even the name of the scheme.
POPULIST POLICIES
Creating 10 lakh jobs over five years, including one lakh this year. The government has neither shown progress on this front nor detailed how it will be achieved.
OMISSIONS AND COMMISSIONS
The government promised the setting up of 10 commissions but only half have been formed till now. Of these, four were formed this week.
The government announced appointment of members and chairmen to the Karnataka 2020 blueprint vision group, the agriculture commission, the knowledge commission, Western Ghats conservation task force and the committee to survey waqf properties. However, the government is yet to constitute the Karnataka Maritime Board, State Child Development Academy, Karnataka Public Lands Corporation and Karnataka State Skills Commission and the State Water Regulatory Board.
POLICIES ON PAPER
The budget promised formation of the industry, textile and youth policies. None of them has been formed till now.
BANGALORE DEVELOPMENT
Raising Rs 36,000 crore for Bangalore development over five years and spending Rs 1,800 crore on infrastructure development in the first year are Yeddyurappa's biggest promises for the capital.
The government has made a beginning by setting up the Agenda for Bangalore Infrastructure Development task force. But there is very little evidence to show it is raising resources or taking up construction of new traffic-friendly structures like flyovers, underpasses or grade separators. Many of the old projects remain incomplete.
TIER-TWO CITIES
The grand plans to develop other cities and decongest Bangalore seemed to have been shelved. The CM promised that the urban local bodies of Mysore, Mangalore, Belgaum, Hubli-Dharwad , Davanagere, Bellary and Gulbarga would get Rs 100 crore per year for two years. This would help them improve civic amenities, invite investments and decongest Bangalore . This has not happened.
ONLY IDEAS
Web-based redressal of public grievances. This would help villagers file complaints through kiosks in panchayats or cyber cafes and track the movement of the file. This has not started.
Increasing the number of Bangalore-One centres is happening in phases. But plans of having similar centres in Hubli-Dharwad , Gulbarga, Belgaum, Bellary, Shimoga, Mysore and Mangalore may have to wait.
Development of Kannada software that helps faster application of e-governance tools is yet to happen. The budget allocation of Rs 1 crore is yet to be used.