Kota Srinivas Poojary, Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, said on Monday that the coalition government has failed to tackle both the drought situation and loan waiver for farmers in the State.

Addressing presspersons here, Mr. Poojary said that the coalition government had assured to waive loans of farmers worth ₹53,000 crore, which later reduced to ₹34,000 crore. In the budget presented about six months back, it claimed that it had set aside ₹6,500 crore. Then it announced that it had released ₹800 crore.

Two days before the winter session of the State legislature, the government assured to provide loan waiver certificates to farmers to the tune of ₹50 crore. But as per the figures given by the government, so far only ₹2.92 crore had been deposited into the accounts of farmers. “Then the government came up with several conditions to avail the loan waiver. Hence, the waiver is nothing but a farce,” he said.

Nearly 100 taluks in the State were now drought hit. Poor people in these taluks were migrating to other places and resorting to distress selling their cattle. There was gross misuse of funds allocated for drought relief.

For instance, funds were sanctioned for striking 1,800 borewells in Hosadurga taluk of Chitradurga district. But there were no borewells there and the entire fund had been embezzled.

“Though the government assured to have a 30-minute discussion on this topic, it later went back on its word. Despite assuring to discuss the Anwar Manippady Report on Waqf properties, it did not do so. The government also shunned from replying to queries on Tipu Jayanti celebrations issue,” he said.

The government assured to discuss the Auradkar Report on improving facilities to the police, but did not do so. The Bharatiya Janata Party also brought the issue of the lackadaisical functioning of the Bapuji Seva Kendras in 5,500 villages at the session, only to find the government taking it lightly. These kendras had been set up to provide 100 government services, but were not even providing one now.

The BJP had urged the government to take over the Kicchugatti Maramma Temple at Sulwadi in Chamarajanagar district, which had led to the death of 17 persons after the poisoning of the ‘prasada’ there. “It was only after we raised a hue and cry the Health Minister visited the place,” Mr. Poojary alleged.