Not opening more liquor shops in Karnataka, says CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. File Pic

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday said his government will not be opening more liquor shops in the state, reported news agency PTI.

"No we are not opening...who said we are opening? Minister has said we will think about it, but we will not open," he said in response to a question, reported PTI.

The Karnataka Excise Department has submitted a proposal to the government recommending setting up of liquor shops in gram panchayats with a population of over 3,000, reported PTI.

Opposition parties -- BJP and JD(S) -- had urged the government not to give its nod, terming the proposal as "anti people".

Speaking about various state-run boards and corporations in the state, the chief minister also said that appointments of Congress workers as presidents and directors will be done soon, reported PTI.

Answering a question, Siddaramaiah said he has informed the 10-member inter-ministerial central team (IMCT), which is on a four-day visit to take stock of the drought situation, that this time the state is facing a "green drought", and requested that the assessment be made based on ground realities, reported PTI.

The state has told the team that 195 out of 236 taluks have been declared as drought-hit as per central guidelines; more than Rs 30,000 crore worth crops have been damaged. "There is 52 per cent crop damage -- it is about 42 lakh hectare."

The IMCT has been informed about "less water" in most of the reservoirs across the state, he said, adding that Rs 4,860 crore drought relief has been sought from the Centre as per norms, while the actual loss is estimated to be around Rs 30,000 crore, reported PTI.

Meanwhile, Karnataka government has floated an 'Expression of Interest' (EOI) for empanelment of agencies to set up an Information Disorder Tackling Unit for it, aimed at tackling misinformation, disinformation, malinformation and fake news.

The Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society (KITS) has floated the EOI and the deadline for proposal submission is October 16.

Minister for IT/BT Priyank Kharge said that the government of Karnataka is serious about tackling misinformation, disinformation, malinformation and fake news. The EOI has been floated for empanelment of agencies to set up such a unit for the government.

In a post on social media platform X, he said, "The EoI includes: Fact Verification Team -- This group will consist of impartial fact-checking organisations chosen by the state government to detect and address false information; Analytics Squad: Utilising advanced technologies such as data analytics and Artificial Intelligence, this team will actively oversee the ecosystem of misinformation; and Capacity Development team: This team will lead public awareness campaigns to educate people about the presence and consequences of the misinformation ecosystem."

(With inputs from PTI)