Mangaluru: Minister for health and family welfare and district minister Dinesh Gundu Rao raised the issue of tax devolution during the 69th Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations, stating that the Centre has done injustice by allocating less funds to the state.
"Karnataka continues to experience unfair treatment in tax allocation. State authorities previously voiced their concerns about this ongoing disparity in revenue sharing," he said while delivering Rajyotsava address at Karnataka Rajyotsava celebrations organised by Dakshina Kannada district administration at Nehru Maidan here on Friday.
"Post-Independence, Karnataka demonstrated effectiveness in managing its population growth through various measures. The issue arises when examining the central govt's allocation of Lok Sabha seats, which favours Hindi-speaking northern states that have shown less progress in educational development and population management. The redistribution of parliamentary seats resulted in decreased representation for southern states, despite their successful implementation of population control policies. This adjustment particularly affects Karnataka and other south Indian states, diminishing their voice in national decision-making processes," Rao said.
He said the state govt took several initiatives to reduce regional imbalance. The cabinet meeting was also held in Kalaburagi to discuss key issues, new projects, and development plans for the region recently.
"Govt prioritised supporting disadvantaged groups, including backward classes, minorities, women, agricultural workers, and underprivileged sections. Although the guarantee schemes reached a majority of people in the state, govt noted that due to technical glitches, some eligible beneficiaries are facing delays in receiving their benefits. The Guarantee Scheme Implementation Authority now operates at state, district, and taluk levels to monitor and facilitate the effective execution of these welfare programmes, ensuring they directly benefit the intended recipients," the minister said.
Stating that Kannada is a rich language, he said its growth depends on the number of people who use it for communication.
Earlier, a replica of ‘Halmidi Shasana', the first Kannada stone inscription, was unveiled at Rajaji Park, in front of Kudmul Ranga Rao Town Hall in the city.
Confusion during award ceremony
During the Rajyotsava district awards event, a dispute arose when two organisations, initially selected for awards and whose representatives were present at the ceremony, were unexpectedly denied recognition citing ‘technical reasons'. The situation caused distress among the organisation representatives, who voiced their concerns directly to the district minister and deputy commissioner. The minister responded by providing assurance to the affected parties and instructed the deputy commissioner to conduct a review and address the matter fairly. The ceremony proceeded to honour 59 individuals for their accomplishments across different domains, along with 24 organisations and institutions receiving district-level recognition.