Prime Minister says State government responsible for Ballari’s backwardness

Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an election rally here on Thursday held the Congress government in the State responsible for Ballari and its surrounding districts remaining backward, saying it had failed to harness the abundant natural resources available.

In a rebuttal on Twitter, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah mocked Mr. Modi for his statements from a place from where the BJP has fielded “a candidate who is the brother of the mining mafia kingpin G. Janardhana Reddy who brought shame to Bellry & the State.”

Natural resources

Mr. Modi argued that the district was blessed with abundant natural resources, including the Tungabhadra river and hard working people, while no steps were taken to develop the region and also the State.

“The government could have made use of the special funds that have accumulated in the newly established District Mineral Foundation to the tune of ₹900 crore, to remove the silt from the dam and other waterbodies which would have helped in overcoming the water crisis. But unfortunately, the State government has spent only around ₹47 lakh,” he charged.

Mr. Modi, while accusing the Congress government for not giving adequate support to the jeans industry in Ballari, which had the scope of solving unemployment problem, said his government had come out with a new textile policy earmarking ₹6,000 crore and wanted entrepreneurs in the jeans industry in Ballari and surrounding areas to make use of it.