Bengaluru: Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa promised on the occasion of Independence Day here to strike a balance between development and protecting the interests of Kannadigas in the state.
Mr Yeddyurappa, who received the guard of honour at the Field Marshal Manek Shah ground, observed in his address that there was disgruntlement over lack of job opportunities for locals in Karnataka, but promised to remedy the situation.
“We are committed to making sure that more job opportunities are available for locals and protecting their honour and rights,” he asserted, however assuring that the government would also make sure that people from other states were accommodated.
“The people of Karnataka like to live in harmony and those who come here in search of jobs should respect local sentiments too,” he added. Thanking the Union Government’s quick response to the state’s flood situation, Mr Yediyurappa said so far 61 people had lost their lives and the government had given Rs 5 lakh in compensation to the families of the dead. Revealing that the state government had decided to extend the loan waiver scheme for farmers to fishermen and weavers, he said it would also add Rs 4,000 to the Union government's annual dole of Rs 6,000 for farmer families, making it Rs 10,000 a year, and provide it in two instalments.
The CM announced that the government would come out with a new industrial policy to attract investment in type-2 and 3 cities and the Bengaluru Development Task Force would be strengthened to develop the city on the lines of the Silicon Valley in the US.
Also, a Tourism Task Force had been constituted under Infosys Foundation chairperson Dr Sudha Murthy to look into ways of improving tourism in the state, he added.
