Latest news with #RDPR
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Karnataka: Rules to tax unauthorised properties in rural areas soon
BENGALURU : Rural development and panchayat raj minister Priyank Kharge Thursday said guidelines to bring all unauthorised properties in rural areas under the purview of local bodies like gram panchayats for the purpose of collecting property tax will be ready by mid-July. The move is part of measures to implement The Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed in March. "We are drawing up guidelines to bring illegal layouts in rural areas into the tax net," said Priyank. "By rolling out the initiative, we can bring around 95 lakh properties under the purview of property tax." While addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Priyank highlighted achievements of the RDPR department over the past two years. He said the department collected over Rs 1,273 crore in revenue this year and it will increase once unauthorised properties start paying tax. He said the department has issued e-khatas to over 50 lakh properties. He said the department has achieved several new initiatives, such as Arivu Kendras (digital libraries), creches, and e-khatas for rural properties, among others. Hitting back at criticism from BJP, which accused him of "doing nothing" for RDPR in the state, he said the central govt had awarded Karnataka RDPR the No. 1 position for decentralisation of power in the state. "This was given by Prime Minister Modi, but BJP still accuses me of not working," Priyank said. He said that while the Centre has ignored the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme, the state provided employment for over 55 lakh people under the scheme in the past two years. Priyank said Karnataka has continued to implement the Jal Jeevan mission to provide safe drinking water in rural areas and that the state and Centre should bear project expenses equally. "The Centre's share is over Rs 3,400 crore but it has released only Rs 515 crore. The Union minister informed us that it would allocate the pending amount in the next budget and requested the state to arrange the funds for the scheme," he said. He said chief minister Siddaramaiah released funds to balance the Union govt's share, and the implementation of the scheme continues without any hindrance. "But BJP is falsely alleging that the state govt is not utilising funds released by the centre for the Jal Jeevan mission," he said.
New Indian Express
3 days ago
- Business
- New Indian Express
Illegal layouts: ‘B Khata' for site owners in rural areas, says Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge
BENGALURU: RDPR Minister Priyank Kharge said on Thursday that a Bill is being drafted to provide one-time relief to unauthorised settlements in rural areas. Guidelines are ready and a drive to issue 'B Khata' for such properties will be introduced mid-July. Kharge told reporters here that more than 95 lakh people will benefit from this biggest initiative in the country. The government expects a revenue of Rs 4,000 crore from this initiative. Kharge said that his department has introduced many reforms to strengthen e-Swathu. In view of the growing demand for one-time settlement/relief to owners whose properties are in unauthorised layouts in rural areas, the new law is being formulated. Over 95 lakh properties can be registered under this initiative, he added. He said that his department has upgraded 5,770 rural libraries to digital ones, where 50.62 lakh people have registered as members. On the achievements of his department, he said 3,469 women have been employed as drivers of garbage collection vehicles at the gram panchayat level. The department has started 3,888 'Koosina Mane'' (creches) for children of young mothers. In all, 53,711 children have been enrolled. This means, more than 50K women have started working to become self-reliant. The daily wage has been increased from Rs 349 to Rs 370, the minister said.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Rules to tax unauthorised properties in rural areas soon
Bengaluru: Rural development and panchayat raj minister Priyank Kharge Thursday said guidelines to bring all unauthorised properties in rural areas under the purview of local bodies like gram panchayats for the purpose of collecting property tax will be ready by mid-July. The move is part of measures to implement The Karnataka Gram Swaraj and Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which was passed in March. "We are drawing up guidelines to bring illegal layouts in rural areas into the tax net," said Priyank. "By rolling out the initiative, we can bring around 95 lakh properties under the purview of property tax." While addressing reporters in Bengaluru, Priyank highlighted achievements of the RDPR department over the past two years. He said the department collected over Rs 1,273 crore in revenue this year and it will increase once unauthorised properties start paying tax. He said the department has issued e-khatas to over 50 lakh properties. He said the department has achieved several new initiatives, such as Arivu Kendras (digital libraries), creches, and e-khatas for rural properties, among others. Hitting back at criticism from BJP, which accused him of "doing nothing" for RDPR in the state, he said the central govt had awarded Karnataka RDPR the No. 1 position for decentralisation of power in the state. "This was given by Prime Minister Modi, but BJP still accuses me of not working," Priyank said. He said that while the Centre has ignored the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme, the state provided employment for over 55 lakh people under the scheme in the past two years. Priyank said Karnataka has continued to implement the Jal Jeevan mission to provide safe drinking water in rural areas and that the state and Centre should bear project expenses equally. "The Centre's share is over Rs 3,400 crore but it has released only Rs 515 crore. The Union minister informed us that it would allocate the pending amount in the next budget and requested the state to arrange the funds for the scheme," he said. He said chief minister Siddaramaiah released funds to balance the Union govt's share, and the implementation of the scheme continues without any hindrance. "But BJP is falsely alleging that the state govt is not utilising funds released by the centre for the Jal Jeevan mission," he said.
The Hindu
25-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Priyank Kharge seeks urgent release of pending MGNREGA funds
Expressing serious concern over the continued delay in the release of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to Karnataka for 2025-26, State Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Minister (RDPR) Priyank Kharge has written to Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan seeking immediate release of funds. In the letter dated May 23, Mr. Kharge has sought the Union Minister's urgent intervention to immediately release the pending wage, material, and administrative funds for the current fiscal. 'The Karnataka government remains firmly committed to the effective implementation of this vital programme, which plays a crucial role in providing livelihood security to rural households across the State. In compliance with the scheme's requirements, the Rural Development Commissionerate has submitted all necessary utilisation certificates and supporting documents to the Ministry of Rural Development. However, the State is facing severe financial and administrative constraints due to the non-release of funds,' the letter stated. Elaborating on the non-release of funds across the administrative component, Mr. Kharge has said in the letter that salaries for field-level staff and functionaries have remained unpaid since December 2024, leading to significant financial hardship for the personnel. 'This delay is severely affecting the routine operations, supervision, and on-ground implementation of the scheme. Field functionaries have been submitting multiple requests to the headquarters for the immediate release of their pending salaries to cover essential expenses such as their children's school admission fees, rent, and loan EMIs,' the letter stated. On the technical challenges in fund flow, the letter stated that the mandated migration to the Single Nodal Agency system and integration with the SPARSH platform and NREGASoft have created operational bottlenecks. 'These system-level transitions, though well-intended, have led to delays in fund disbursement to the State,' the letter pointed out. Stating that no material funds have been released in the current financial year, he said in the letter: 'This has resulted in pending bills amounting to ₹787.2 crore. Additionally, wage liabilities of around ₹600 crore are outstanding, despite the fact that demands have been raised as per actual work progress.' Officials from the Rural Development Commissionerate have consistently pursued this matter through formal letters, telephone follow-ups, and personal visits to the Union Rural Development Ministry. They have also raised concerns during virtual meetings. 'In light of the above, I urge your urgent intervention for the immediate release of the pending wage, material, and administrative funds. Timely disbursement is essential to ensure the livelihood security of lakhs of rural workers and also maintain the administrative efficacy and trust in this important national programme,' Mr. Kharge's letter added.
Time of India
16-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Karnataka Congress lashes out at BJP over Pahalgam attack, response
Bengaluru/Mangaluru: A day after MLA Kottur Manjunath and labour minister Santosh Lad questioned the BJP-led central govt over its response to the Pahalgam terror attack , other Karnataka ministers have echoed similar sentiments. Manjunath had even wondered if the attack was "stage managed". On Friday, health minister Dinesh Gundu Rao said the "whole country" is questioning the attack and people want clear answers. "The world learned about the ceasefire after US President Donald Trump announced it. Later, Pakistan acknowledged it, and so did our country. Our country should have announced it first. [PM Narendra] Modi is afraid to even mention Trump's name. Modi, of 56-inch chest fame, criticises Turkey but does not speak of China, even though Pakistan uses Chinese weapons," Rao said. RDPR and IT-BT minister Priyank Kharge also joined the bandwagon, alleging BJP had undermined India's sovereignty. He questioned America's role in the ceasefire and claimed it was "a complete foreign policy failure". He wondered who the Pahalgam attackers were. "The terrorists who attacked Pahalgam traversed over 250km into Indian territory. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Writing in English Doesn't Have to Feel Hard Grammarly Learn More Undo Why were they not tracked and eliminated? Did they escape across the border or are they still hiding in India?" Priyank asked. He chided BJP, saying the saffron party cannot continue to take credit for sacrifices and victories of the Indian armed forces while shirking accountability for diplomatic failures. However, chief minister Siddaramaiah continued to maintain a neutral tone. Reacting to Manjunath's comments, he said: "It is the MLA's opinion. However, Modi, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, and Trump have made different statements about the ceasefire." He expressed concern that the ceasefire could benefit Pakistan. Meanwhile, Union minister Pralhad Joshi attacked Congress, calling the party "a divided house" since national functionaries like Shashi Tharoor and P Chidambaram had supported the Centre's actions. Joshi said detractors "suffer from a phobia and believe mentioning Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Donald Trump in their speeches would elevate their stature". (Inputs from Hospet, Hubballi)
