Kodagu floods: Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy demands Rs 1 bn relief fund

Karnataka CM HD Kumaraswamy on Saturday announced an ex gratia of Rs 500,000 for the families which were rendered homeless.

Kodagu Flood : Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy has urged the Centre to provide Rs 1 billion relief fund for rain-ravaged state's Kodagu district.

Addressing the media, the chief minister said, "The Prime Minister has announced relief of Rs 5 billion for Kerala, we expect at least Rs 1 billion for Kodagu. We will request the central government for it. We have to repair roads for connectivity. We are taking help of the Army and the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF)," Kumaraswamy said.

He added, "We conducted an aerial survey in Kodagu to review the flood situation. In all, 12 people have lost their lives. 845 houses have been damaged out of which 773 houses are partially damaged."

Kumaraswamy stated that a total of 6,620 people have been rehabilitated in the relief camps. He said, "41 relief camps in Kodagu and nine relief camps in Dakshina Kannada have been set up and a total of 6,620 people are sheltered in these relief camps. An adequate supply of drinking water and milk is being ensured in these camps."

On August 20, Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister G. Parameshwara stated that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led central government should allocate adequate financial aid for relief efforts in the Kodagu district.

On August 19 Kumaraswamy conducted an aerial survey of landslides and flood-affected areas in Kodagu district. The Chief Minister also presented cheques to the families of Avarthi village who lost their houses in floods. He also inspected rain-affected areas in Somawarpet and adjacent areas.

Kumaraswamy on Saturday announced an ex gratia of Rs 500,000 for the families which were rendered homeless.

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Kumaraswamy's Karnataka Cabinet expansion: 12 Cong MLAs to take oath today

As per the power-sharing arrangement, the Congress would have a total of 22 ministers while the JD-S will have 12, including the CM.

Over 12 Congress MLAs in Karnataka are likely to take oath as ministers in the first expansion of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy's Cabinet, after the grand old party finalised the list in a meeting between Rahul Gandhi and its senior state leaders.
According to sources, while over 12 legislators will be of the Congress, around nine MLAs of the JD-S are likely to take oath on Wednesday, a fortnight after Kumaraswamy was sworn in as chief minister.
As per the power-sharing arrangement, the Congress would have a total of 22 ministers while the JD-S will have 12, including the chief minister.
Sources said Gandhi held long deliberations with former chief minister Siddharamaiah, deputy chief minister G Parameswara and senior party leaders D K Shivakumar and Dinesh Gundu Rao, along with AICC general secretary in-charge of Karnataka affairs K C Venugopal.
Though there was no official word from the Congress, Gandhi is learnt to have given his nod to the list of around 12 ministers which includes Shivakumar who is likely to get an important portfolio.
Gandhi met the Karnataka leaders for over an hour and gave final shape to the list of ministers while according equitable representation to all sections and regions.
Sources said some portfolios may remain vacant on both sides to douse any discord in the two parties.
The lone BSP legislator in Karnataka, N Mahesh, will be a part of the cabinet expansion and will be given a key portfolio.
JD-S secretary general Danish Ali told PTI, "We will give due importance to our pre-poll ally, the BSP by giving its lone MLA a ministerial berth."
He also disclosed that BSP supremo Mayawati has deputed its senior leader Satish Chandra Misra to attend the cabinet expansion function on Wednesday. This is the first time that the BSP will be a part of the government outside of Uttar Pradesh.

Danish Ali was the key pointsman in negotiating an alliance with both the BSP and then the Congress.

Karnataka CM Kumaraswamy says have stopped Modi's Ashwamedha horse: Updates

H D Kumaraswamy's swearing-in as Karnataka chief minister saw a show of strength by a galaxy of Opposition leaders who are looking to unite in a bid to take on Narendra Modi in 2019.

Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy has said that the Janata Dal (Secular) and Congress alliance has succeeded in "tying" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Ashwamedha horse (victory horse) in Karnataka, insinuating that the Modi-Amit Shah duo's electoral juggernaut has been halted. On Wednesday, Kumaraswamy was sworn in as the 25th chief minister of Karnataka in a ceremony in Bengaluru that brought together anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (anti-BJP) regional and Opposition parties on a single platform ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.



"I had said after the Uttar Pradesh election results came out that my aim is to tie the Ashwamedha horse of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah (BJP President). Today, both Congress and JD(S), together, have tied their Ashwamedha horse in Karnataka," said Kumaraswamy , adding, "Probably, in the days to come, Amit Shah has to go to Narendra Modi with lifeless Ashwamedha horse, as we have tied their horse."



The swearing-in ceremony, which also saw Congress' G Parameshwara sworn in as Karnataka deputy chief minister, showcased rare scenes of bonhomie between United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, Nationalist Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Telugu Desam Party (TDP) chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Puducherry Chief Minister V Narayanasamy, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Communist Party of India (Marxist) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, Communist Party of India Member of Parliament D Raja, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejaswi Yadav, and former Union minister Sharad Yadav.



The BJP, for its part, decided to abstain from attending the swearing-in ceremony despite seven of its leaders, including former chief ministers Sadananda Gowda, Jagadish Shettar and S M Krishna, Union minister Ananth Kumar, and officiating Assembly Speaker K G Bopaiah, being invited. The BJP emerged as the single largest party after the May 12 Assembly elections and had formed a government with B S Yeddyurappa as the chief minister that lasted for all of three days. Yeddyurappa said they were boycotting the event as BJP was observing a "black day" across the state.

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