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Minister vows serious action on fertilizer shortage, dilapidated school buildings, and poor quality of food in Bidar

Minister vows serious action on fertilizer shortage, dilapidated school buildings, and poor quality of food in Bidar

The Hindua day ago
Forest, Environment and Ecology Minister and Bidar district in charge Minister Eshwar B. Khandre has assured that the issues of fertilizer shortage, dilapidated school buildings, and substandard food supplied to schoolchildren in Bidar would be taken up seriously and addressed on priority.
Chairing the Karnataka Development Programmes (KDP) quarterly review meeting at the Zilla Panchayat hall in Bidar on Friday, the Minister directed Deputy Commissioner Shilpa Sharma, Zilla Panchayat CEO Girish Badole, Assistant Commissioners, and Executive Engineers to conduct inspections and certify the quality of all ongoing works.
'Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has inaugurated and laid the foundation for development projects worth ₹2,025 crore in the district. There should be close monitoring of the progress and quality of each of these projects,' the Minister said.
Raising concern over poor SSLC and PU results in Bidar, Mr. Khandre ordered the formation of clusters to support students through focused coaching by expert teachers in English, Mathematics, Science, and Social Studies. He asked officials to identify top-performing teachers across taluks and initiate revision classes for SSLC and PU students for two months.
Responding to complaints about the condition of school infrastructure, Mr. Khandre sought a detailed report from the Education Department on all dilapidated school and college buildings.
'Submit a file within a fixed deadline indicating whether the buildings can be repaired or must be rebuilt. Include the year of construction, estimated cost, and reasons for the early deterioration of these buildings,' he directed.
On law and order
Expressing shock over a recent case of sexual assault against a minor girl, the minister instructed DSPs to expedite investigations in all cases involving crimes against women and children. He also questioned whether CCTV cameras had been installed at crime-prone public locations and directed officials to take urgent steps to install them wherever lacking.
'Only when perpetrators are arrested, tried, and punished will such crimes be prevented,' he said.
Focus on skilling and employment
Acknowledging unemployment as a pressing concern, Mr. Khandre suggested that youth be given loans and encouraged to take up self-employment through government schemes. He added that since Bidar lacks natural resources for a full-scale industrial revolution, skill training should be aligned with job opportunities in the service sector. He also asked the Deputy Commsisioner and Zilla Panchayat CEO to personally inspect at least five development works each for quality assurance.
During the meeting, MLA Shailendra Beldale raised concerns over reports of adulterated cooking oil and poor-quality food being served to students. He urged officials to inspect hostels and restaurants to ensure food safety standards.
The meeting was attended by Minister for Municipal Administration and Haj Rahim Khan; Siddalingappa Patil, Sharanu Salagar, MLAs; M.G. Muley, Bhimaraya Patil, Chandrashekhar Patil; MLCs; Fisheries Development Corporation chairperson Mala B. Narayan Rao; BUDA chairman Basavaraj Jabashetty; DCC Bank president Amar Khandre; District Guarantee Implementation Committee chairman Amruthrao Chimkode; and senior officials from various departments.
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