From Our Special Correspondent
Daijiworld Media Network
Bengaluru, Feb 11: Despite riding high on its electoral victories, Karnataka’s Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister KS Eshwarappa on Friday indicated that the elections to the taluk and zilla panchayats were unlikely to be held during the present tenure of the BJP government in the State.
Speaking to reporters in Bengaluru, the minister said the Supreme Court’s recent orders that no state or union territory can be permitted to hold local body elections with 27% reservation for other backward classes (OBCs) as the reason for not holding elections.
Eshwarappa said it was difficult to conduct elections to rural local bodies now since the Supreme Court said that no reservation to OBCs be given without empirical data on the population and representation of OBCs.
The government has made preparations for the conduct of elections to ZPs and TPs, he said.
A few months ago, the State Government set up a Delimitation Commission and it was headed by former IAS officer M Lakshminarayana. The commission’s work was to carry out delimitation and reservation for constituencies in the panchayat.
However, the Supreme Court order made the commission work difficult, he said.
Elections to ZPs and TPs ended were last held in February 2016.
Following the end of term, the State Government has appointed administrators to ZPs and TPs.
In the background of the Apex Court order, the State Government would hold discussions with floors leaders of the Opposition and experts to ensure justice to OBCs in the local body elections, he said.
Eshwarappa said the State Cabinet meeting held on February 9, 2022 approved 16 projects under the JalJeevan Mission.
It was aimed at providing tapped water to 27.14 rural households in 2022-23 and 17.45 lakh households in 2023-24.
Drinking water connections have been provided to 45.44 lakh households in rural areas as of now. A total of 25.17 households would be provided drinking water in 2021-22 and 17.60 lakh houses have been given connections, he said.
A total of 97.91 lakh households would be provided tapped water supply in the next two years, the minister said.
Referring to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, he said Rs 4,064 crore had been credited to the bank accounts of eligible beneficiaries.
The State has completed 13 crore man days in December 2021. After that the department was successful in obtaining an additional Rs 715 crore for another 1.40 crore man days under the scheme, he said.