Karnataka’s five guarantee schemes, implemented at an annual expenditure of more than ₹50,000 crore, have become a model for other States and helped improve the economic condition of crores of families, said Backwards Classes Welfare and Kannada and Culture Minister and Koppal district in-charge Minister Shivraj Tangadagi on Saturday.Hoisting the national flag at the 80th Independence Day celebrations at the District Stadium in Koppal, Mr. Tangadagi said the State government had spent ₹1.34 lakh crore on the five guarantee schemes so far.“The five guarantee schemes have been successfully implemented in Karnataka, and several other States are following them. They have helped bring economically and socially vulnerable sections into the mainstream and enable the poorest sections to live with dignity,” he said.Describing the three years of the present government as a “meaningful journey” and “people-oriented administration”, Mr. Tangadagi said the government had focused on poverty alleviation, social justice, infrastructure development and strengthening the State’s economy.As per the information provided by the Minister, 3,12,152 beneficiaries had registered under the Gruha Lakshmi scheme in Koppal district, and a total of ₹1,853 crore had so far been directly credited to the beneficiaries’ accounts.“Under the Shakti scheme, women made 12.72 crore trips in Koppal district between June 11, 2023 and July 31, 2026. The total value of tickets issued under the scheme was ₹426.39 crore. Under the Anna Bhagya scheme, 12,01,254 people in the district were benefiting every month. Between July 2023 and December 2025, ₹313.92 crore had been transferred directly to cardholders in the district, while ₹189.86 crore had been allocated during the last financial year,” he said.The Minister said that as many as 15,548 beneficiaries had registered under the Yuvanidhi scheme in the district as of August 10, 2026, and ₹39.18 crore had been disbursed as unemployment assistance in the district.“Under the Gruha Jyothi scheme, 2,86,730 beneficiaries had registered in the district, representing 99.02% of the eligible beneficiaries. Verification of beneficiaries had been completed to the extent of 54.48%,” he said.The Minister said that eleven multi-village drinking water schemes covering 477 villages had been completed in Koppal district, while three more schemes were in various stages of completion or implementation.“Several drinking water projects under the Amrut 2.0 scheme were under implementation for the seven urban local bodies in the district. The ₹139.94-crore Koppal-Bhagyanagar combined drinking water project was under progress and was expected to be completed by October-end. Work orders had also been issued for the Yelburga-Kuknoor project, estimated at ₹242.23 crore, and the Kanakagiri-Karatagi project, estimated at ₹195.79 crore. The ₹28-crore Kushtagi drinking water project was in progress,” Mr. Tangadagi said.DKSMr. Tangadagi said the Congress would return to power in the State in 2028 and D.K. Shivakumar would continue as Chief Minister.Responding to a question about senior Congress leaders expressing their aspirations for the Chief Minister’s post in 2028, Mr. Tangadagi said it was not wrong for senior leaders to express their feelings.“However, D.K. Shivakumar becoming the Chief Minister in 2028 too is certain,” he said.When asked about the aspirations of K. Raghavendra Hitnal, Koppal MLA, to get a Ministerial berth, Mr. Tangadagi said he was confident that Mr. Hitnal would become a Minister in the coming days.“There are no differences among us. All the MLAs from the district are united,” he said.Taking a dig at the BJP, Mr. Tangadagi said the party had no moral right to criticise the Congress. He said the BJP had criticised Karnataka’s five guarantee schemes but had subsequently introduced similar guarantee schemes in States where it was in power.“Let the BJP first resolve its own problems. In the BJP, R. Ashok does not get along with Sunil Kumar, and when Sunil Kumar is involved, C.T. Ravi does not agree. They should first sort out their own issues,” he said.‘No exemption for RSS from permission rule’Asked about the government’s reported move to regulate RSS activities in public spaces, Mr. Tangadagi said permission would be mandatory for all organisations to hold meetings and programmes in public places and that the RSS would not be exempted.“First, the RSS should provide information about its registration. If the BJP has the courage, let it hoist the national flag at the RSS headquarters,” he said.