Article 371(J) brought sea change in H-K region: CM

BELAGAVI: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said special status to Hyderabad-Karnataka region under Article 371(J) of the Constitution has brought sea changes in the region by enabling emergence of more doctors and engineers.

During his reply on a special discussion under Rule 69 on Mahadayi, Kalasa-Banduri, regional imbalance and other issues related to north Karnataka, he said the number of seats reserved for students from the region has increased to 3,179 since 2013 compared to the earlier 2,719 seats. Engineering seats have increased to 6,320 from the earlier 2,840.

Stating that the earlier Vajapayee-led NDA government had refused to bring in an amendment to Article 371 to accord special status to the region, he said that it was the UPA government which approved it. With this, the government, which had decided to allocate `1,000 crore annually for the development of the region, has increased to `1,500 per annum. The government so far has released `3,000 crore, he said.
Stating that Article 371(J) has brought great justice to the people of the region, Siddaramaiah said nearly 19,000 government posts here have been filled up and the remaining 28,000 post are being filled up. “The cliché that Hyderabad-Karnataka is being neglected is now a thing of past,”he said.
 Siddarmaiah took a dig at BJP’s  ‘Mission 150’  saying, “You will not even win 50 seats.”