CM Siddaramaiah Bars Maharashtra Govt Officials From Entering Karnataka For THIS Reason

CM Siddaramaiah Wednesday said government officials from the neighbouring state have been informed not to enter the state.

Karnataka News: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has barred Maharashtra government officials from entering Karnataka after reports emerged claiming that the Eknath Shinde-led dispensation has decided to implement the health insurance scheme in 865 Marathi- dominated villages in the southern state bordering Maharashtra.

Talking to reporters, CM Siddaramaiah Wednesday said government officials from the neighbouring state have been informed not to enter the state and Karnataka Chief Secretary has conveyed this to his Maharashtra counterpart.

“Our Chief Secretary has spoken (to his Maharashtra counterpart) asking them (government officials) not to enter Karnataka,” the chief minister told reporters before leaving for the inauguration of Sainik School in Bailahongala Taluk in Belagavi district.

The Belagavi row

The move comes amid a border row dating back to 1957 when states were reorganised on linguistic lines.  Since that time, Karnataka and Maharashtra have often sparred over Belagavi– which has a sizable Marathi-speaking populus.

Maharashtra laid claim to Belagavi, which was part of the erstwhile Bombay Presidency, as it has a sizable Marathi-speaking population. It also staked claim to over 800 Marathi-speaking villages which are currently a part of Karnataka.

Karnataka maintains that the demarcation done on linguistic lines as per the States Reorganisation Act and the 1967 Mahajan Commission Report is final.

In an assertion about Belagavi being an integral part of the state, Karnataka built the ‘Suvarna Vidhana Soudha’ there, modelled on the Vidhana Soudha, the seat of the State Legislature and Secretariat, in Bengaluru.

‘Low conviction rate in crimes against Dalits a concern’

In related news, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed concern that the state’s conviction rate in cases of violence against Dalits is not satisfactory. Addressing the annual conference of senior police officers in Bengaluru on Tuesday, the chief minister noted that for victims to have faith in the system, the quality of investigations into cases of atrocities must be improved.

He gave instructions that a scientifically valid charge sheet should be submitted

“Put a complete stop to the incidents of violence against women and children. Punishment should be increased. Otherwise, the blame will be on the DCPs themselves for this failure,” the CM warned the officers.

Siddaramaiah said his dispensation has given free hand to the police but that in manner should be misused.

“My commitment is that we should not poke our nose in the police work. But the free hand should not be misused. It should be beneficial to the people,” Siddaramaiah said.

He also said that it is a bad development that police officers are eager for transfers and are also using their caste. The Chief Minister told them not to do so.

We are a secular nation. We should strengthen the aspirations of our constitution. Crimes can be reduced with the use of modern technology, he said.

(With inputs from agencies)