Kolar is not backward, not anymore: Muniyappa

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: A 7-time Member of Parliament and the tallest Dalit-Left leader, among the current lot in the Congress party, K H Muniappa is wellequipped to tackle the challenges faced by his ministry.

He oversees the state’s public distribution system, ensuring the availability and fair pricing of essential commodities, as well as protecting consumer rights and his vision is to make essential goods and services more accessible and affordable to all citizens.

In an interview with News Trail, the minister dwelt on the food distribution system in the state. He also wanted the state government to be allowed to take over mining activities in the Kolar belt where he sees a lot of potential for gold mining. Here are excerpts:

Why is the consumer movement in the state so weak? How do you propose to strengthen it?

Consumer movement is very strong in Karnataka. This is the only state in south India that provides 80 percent of Below Poverty Line Cards (BPL) to its citizens.

The beneficiaries are receiving 5kgs of rice and around 4.5 cr people are availing this benefit of the 6.5 cr people in the state. This was one the best programs started by the UPA govt when I was Union minister.

The National Food Security Act (NFSA) was started by the UPA government in 2013 and thereafter the program was adopted by successive governments.

Further the Congress government in the state under the Anna Bhagya Scheme, decided to provide 5kgs of extra rice grains from the Food Corporation of India (FCI) but managing the grain supply was difficult. However, the government promised to credit an amount( Rs 170) each month for the same to the beneficiaries (BPL) through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

There is an allegation of diversion of state funds for guarantee schemes. Is there any truth in these changes?

We have not diverted the funds. We have got sufficient funds. We have Rs 10,000 cr allocated in the budget exclusively for the scheme and we are spending Rs 700 crores to Rs 800 cr for the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) to beneficiaries.

There are people who blame you for the Lok Sabha defeat in Kolar of the Congress, your reaction?

I was incharge of Bengaluru rural district and not Kolar. The district incharge minister of Kolar is responsible and answerable. Although I went to Kolar for the official candidate’s nomination and campaign twice, they are responsible for whatever has happened. I have restricted my work to Bengaluru rural district.

Are you satisfied with the Madiga representation in the state cabinet ?

Yes I am satisfied with the representation. We have to take all sections into consideration because all have voted in favour of the Congress party. The Madiga community is demanding one more slot in the state cabinet and I am also urging the Congress high command, the CM and DCM to acept this.

Isn’t it time Karnataka had a dalit CM?

Now we have a CM and the government is running smoothly. There is no point in any change. Ultimately it is the high command’s decision and we have nothing to do with such decision making. 

Why is Kolar still so backward?

It is not backward, it has improved. We have good roads, industrial sectors, good job creation with more than one lakh people employed and hence we are seeing progress. The only problem is the water issue as the water table has gone down to 1200 ft to 1500 ft. We have to address this issue and solve the drinking water crisis.

We have completed projects at Koramangala Challaghatta Valley (KC) and the HN valley in Chikkaballapur and available water flows to the tanks.

Your ties with CM Siddaramaiah?

We all (ministers) work together with the CM for the welfare of the state.

What steps are being taken to address the issue of food wastage in the state particularly in the context of surplus food from restaurants and hotels?

We are losing Rs 90,000 crores on the wastage of cooked food in India each year, be it in hotels, wedding halls or places where the public gathers. Some NGOs and the Hotel Management Association are creating awareness through advertisements and programs on food safety and wastage.

Does Kolar Gold Field (KGF) still have a lot of potential for exploring for gold?

With the use of new technology, even 0.5 grams of gold in a ton ore will bring profit. There are 30 to 40 metric tonnes of gold that exists in waste dumps that we can extract using new technology. According to the 2015 mining policy, except zinc and coal, all other mining activities are left to the state government.

Accordingly, I have asked the CM to address the taking over 12,000 acres of Bharat Gold Mines’ land now with the Government of India. We can use such land for the National Investment and Manufacturing Zones ( NIMZ).

We have two areas i.e. Mulbagal to Srivaspur (more than 10,000 acres) and the Bharat Gold Mine region wherein we can establish industries and townships with employment opportunities. We have to first undertake recycling of waste dumps and thereafter potentially exploit and explore the availability of the 80 feet length of ore between Chigargunta and Srinivaspur.

Deep mining is very difficult and we have to safeguard the welfare of mining workers with houses for over three to four generations. This was a big issue the last time it was discussed in the cabinet. The people of Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) have no land for themselves and depend on working in industries for their livelihood.

My request to the Central government is to permit the state government to take charge of all mining activities and safeguard workers as well. A detailed discussion with the CM and the Mining minister will take place shortly. My daughter Roopakala, MLA (KGF) has also asked for 2000 acres of land to start industries.