Home Minister and Kalaburagi in-charge Minister Priyank Kharge interacting with an aggrieved person after receiving a representation at the launch of the Praja Seva campaign in Kamalapur, Kalaburagi district, on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: ARUN KULKARNI
Home Minister and Kalaburagi district in-charge Minister Priyank Kharge said the State government’s Praja Seva initiative was a testament to its commitment to taking administration to people’s doorsteps and ensuring time-bound redressal of their grievances.Speaking after inaugurating the Praja Seva campaign at Kamalapur in Kalaburagi district on Saturday, Mr. Kharge said the initiative reflected the government’s belief that “jana seve is janardhana seve” and that a government should listen to people’s problems rather than remain distant from them.The campaign was launched simultaneously across Karnataka, with Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar inaugurating it at Kudligi in Vijayanagara district and district in-charge Ministers leading the programme in their respective districts.Mr. Kharge said the government had created a dedicated Praja Seva Department under the leadership of Mr. Shivakumar to ensure that grievances were not merely received but followed up and resolved within a stipulated timeframe. Every application would be given an acknowledgement number, and the department concerned would be expected to act within the prescribed window.Ministers and officials would meet people at the taluk level on the first and third Saturdays of every month as part of the initiative, he said.At Kamalapur, around 40 stalls were set up to cater to people from 19 gram panchayats and the Kamalapur Town Panchayat. Various departments, including Agriculture, Horticulture, Sericulture, Fisheries, Revenue, Rural Development, Women and Child Development, Social Welfare, Food and Civil Supplies, Electricity, Cooperation and Yuvanidhi, were represented at the stalls.Mr. Shivakumar also interacted with Mr. Kharge and an old woman who came to the programme, seeking a solution to her long-pending problem.The grievances brought before the authorities at Kamalapur ranged from land disputes and the non-payment of social security pensions to basic civic issues.Pushpa Krishna Suryavanshi of Ambalaga submitted a representation alleging that a portion of land standing in her father-in-law’s name had been illegally encroached upon and that claims were being made over it without the family’s knowledge. She said Minister Kharge had received her representation and assured her that the issue would be resolved shortly.Shivasharanappa Rayappa Kesaratagi of V.K. Salagar said his old-age pension had not been credited to his bank account for the past six months, making it difficult for him to meet his daily needs. He said he had submitted his representation to authorities in the programme who, he said, assured him that the pending pension amount would be released soon.Shivakumar of Magawadi drew attention to problems relating to roads, drainage, and drinking water in the village. He also said the movement of sugarcane-laden lorries had damaged roads. He said he had submitted a representation to the Minister and that he was assured the problems would be addressed soon.Basavaraj Mattimadu, Kalaburagi Rural MLA, meanwhile, sought the declaration of the remaining five taluks in the district as drought-affected and demanded compensation of ₹50,000 per acre for crop loss and the waiver of crop loans up to ₹5 lakh.Mr. Kharge said the declaration of drought-affected taluks was governed by the guidelines of the National Disaster Response Fund. He said the State government wanted the guidelines to be simplified and argued that the Centre should consider extending loan waivers to farmers on the lines of relief extended to industries and entrepreneurs.The programme was attended by Tippannappa Kamaknoor, MLC, Allamaprabhu Patil, Kalaburagi South MLA, Karnataka Pulses Development Board chairman Mehmood Chishti, Gulbarga Electricity Supply Company chairman Praveen Patil Harwal, Kalyana Karnataka Road Transport Corporation chairman Arun Kumar Patil, Kalaburagi Urban Development Authority chairman Mazhar Alam Khan and other people’s representatives and senior officials. Published - September 05, 2026 08:05 pm IST
