The Karnataka Cabinet on Friday accepted the recommendations of the high-power committee set up by the State Government to study the Lokayukta report on illegal mining especially the role of the Government officials. (HT Business) Briefing reporters after the Cabinet meet, the Higher Education Minister, Dr V.S. Acharya, and the Law Minister, Mr Suresh Kumar, said the State Cabinet has agreed on all the suggestions made by the high-power committee, headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, Mr K. Jairaj.
SPECIAL INVESTIGATION TEAM
The committee has also suggested to the Government to constitute a special investigation team (SIT) to probe in detail the role of each department, officers involved and also fix punishment required for their official misconduct.
Mr Suresh Kumar said the committee had instructed the Departments of Revenue, Mines and Geology, Police, Commercial Tax, Forest and Transport to serve notices on their officials indicted in the Lokayukta report and seek their views.
MONITORING PROBE
The departments identified gave the action taken report to the high-level committee and also a mechanism instituted by them to monitor the probe.
Of the total 617 officials named by the Karnataka Lokayukta report, 447 officers have been identified, action have been initiated on 182 officers and 170 are yet to be traced or identified, said Mr Suresh Kumar.
The committee has recommended stringent action against some officials.
IAS OFFICERS
The IAS officers named in the report are Mr K.S. Prabhakara, Mr M.V. Shivalingamurthy, Mr Srigangaram Baderia.
IFS OFFICERS
The IFS officers are Mr Muthaiah (ex-Deputy Conservator of forests-Bellary, Mr Srinivasalu (ex-Deputy Conservator of Forests-Chitradurga), Mr P. Rajshekar (ex-Deputy Conservator of forests-Bellary), Mr M.K. Shukla, (ex-Deputy Conservator of forests-Bellary).
The committee has also recommended to the State Government to initiate action on the IAS/IFS officers after taking their views in person.
ADMINISTRATIVE REFORMS
The panel also said administrative reforms and suitable amendments to the existing acts in the departments identified in the illegal mining in the State.
The Lokayukta report had observed that documents seized from Mr Karapudi Mahesh, a trusted aide of Mr Reddy, indicated that payments were made to officials of various departments.
High level board headed by CM to boost agricultural production
PTI | 09:10 PM,Oct 28,2011Bangalore, Oct 28 (PTI): The Karnataka Government today decided to set up a high-level board headed by the Chief Minister for effective implementation of programmes aimed at boosting agricultural production and to rechristen its "organic farming mission" as "Amrutha Bhoomi" project. Ministers of Agriculture and Horticulture would be the other board members as per the cabinet meeting decision today, Minister for Higher Education Dr V S Acharya told reporters. The cabinet decided no action is necessary on a complaint which alleged a Rs 50 crore scam in Karnataka Drugs and Logistics Warehousing Society in purchase of drugs after the Official committee which went into it declared there was no truth in it, he said. Acharya said the Cabinet decided to amend the Karnataka Judicial Service Act 2004 to facilitate 10 per cent of posts of district judges be given to civil judges who have completed five years of service during the selection process. He said 10 first grade colleges set up by SCs and STs between June 1987 and March 1995 would come under grant-in-aid facility, costing the state exchequer Rs 5.02 crore annually. The government would set up a quality regulation board to monitor quality aspects on roads developed with World Bank and Asian Development Bank assistance, he said.
Udupi: Senior BJP Leader L K Advani demanded a white paper in the winter session of Parliament on how the government proposes to bring back the black money stashed abroad in foreign banks, while addressing a meeting here on Monday, October 31.
