Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar on Saturday announced a series of administrative, recruitment and drought-management measures following a review meeting on the progress of development programmes in the Bengaluru Regional Division, held in Chitradurga.
In a post on X, Shivakumar said the state government was conducting a major recruitment drive to fill more than 70,000 vacancies. In the wake of the NEET examination controversy, he directed officials to install CCTV cameras at all recruitment examination centres, strengthen security for question papers and document every stage of the examination process.
The Chief Minister also ordered greater transparency in the drilling of new borewells, directing officials to digitally record borewell depths and prevent irregularities in groundwater extraction. He said all decisions relating to new borewells, repairs and electricity connections should be made transparent.
Highlighting concerns over the impact of El Niño, Shivakumar said water levels in most reservoirs across the state were low and called for a coordinated “Team Karnataka” approach to tackle the drought situation. He added that a Cabinet expansion could take place next week, following which ministers would jointly review drought preparedness and measures to protect farmers.
The government has already authorised district administrations to spend up to ₹1 crore in every rural Assembly constituency to ensure the supply of drinking water, he said. Farmers were also advised not to sow crops based on expected rainfall or reservoir releases without guidance from irrigation committees and government officials.
Among other initiatives, Shivakumar announced plans to distribute e-Khata certificates to one crore families within a year and directed district administrations to create land banks to provide house sites for homeless families in every taluk.
He also said the government was considering sending an all-party delegation to the Centre to seek assistance for drought relief and had informed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the state’s drought situation. Karnataka had also conveyed to the Cauvery Water Management Committee that releasing water to Tamil Nadu was not feasible under the prevailing conditions, he added.
The Chief Minister directed officials to monitor the distribution of free bus passes to school students, implement an AI-based integrated grievance redressal system, develop rural schools using CSR funds, review alleged irregularities in the Gruha Lakshmi scheme, ensure adequate stocks of seeds and fertilisers, and prioritise drinking water supply in urban and rural areas.
Shivakumar further announced the launch of the Praja Seva Department, under which public grievance meetings will be held on the first and third Saturdays of every month in each Assembly constituency under the leadership of district in-charge ministers. He said the initiative would later be expanded to the hobli level to bring government services closer to the people.