Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], May 31 (ANI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday issued strong instructions to officials across the state during a major progress review meeting, saying that districts must work to reduce the percentage of severely malnourished children by at least 1 per cent every year.

Addressing the issue of malnourished children, the CM said that although the problem cannot be eliminated overnight due to social challenges, districts must work to reduce the percentage of severely malnourished children by at least 1 per cent every year. He issued this directive to the Deputy Commissioners of Bidar, Vijayanagar, and Ballari.

'There are social reasons why it's not possible to eliminate the issue all at once. Therefore, reducing the percentage by 1 per cent every year can help,' he said.

The meeting, attended by ministers and senior bureaucrats, witnessed the CM giving clear directives aimed at improving governance and service delivery.

He also emphasised continuous health monitoring of children, including tracking haemoglobin levels, and questioned the lack of visible improvements in nutritional status despite the provision of milk, eggs, and supplements.

'A scientific report must be prepared to understand why there is no progress. Based on that, corrective steps should be taken,' the CM said.

Siddaramaiah expressed dissatisfaction with the repeated excuses from officials regarding land acquisition for national highway projects.

'How many years will you keep repeating the same story?' the CM asked in a stern tone. He added that if needed, a special officer would be appointed exclusively to handle land acquisition.

He warned that new highway projects would not be approved unless pending ones were completed.

Minister Satish Jarkiholi supported the CM's view, saying, 'Out of 42 pending projects, 22 have been completed, but many issues are due to the central government.' He urged central authorities to be more active in resolving issues.

To address delays, the CM directed that bottleneck issues be prioritised, and a circular be issued to bring Special Land Acquisition Officers (SLAOs) under Deputy Commissioners' control.

Minister Krishna Byre Gowda added, 'Regular monitoring can help improve the situation.'

The CM and ministers raised serious concerns about SLAO practices, especially regarding land compensation.

'There's often a huge gap between market value, guidance value, and the compensation determined by SLAOs. This places an unnecessary burden on the government,' the CM noted.

He ordered a comprehensive review of SLAO operations and confirmed that they would now report directly to Deputy Commissioners.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah highlighted the high number of fake and ineligible ration cards in several districts.

'Scientific data shows that in no district can more than 60 per cent of people be eligible. If eligibility shows 80 per cent or 90 per cent, it is unacceptable. It's unjust to those who truly deserve it,' the CM said.

He called for the elimination of fake, duplicate, and ineligible ration cards to ensure benefits reach the right people.

During the review, it was also revealed that some government employees and teachers hold BPL cards. While they don't use them for food grains, they avail other services like free hospital treatment.

The CM instructed that no eligible beneficiary should be denied, but ineligible ones must be removed carefully to ensure genuine people don't suffer.

He asked Deputy Commissioners to explain what steps they had taken to cancel such cards, what challenges they faced, and what solutions they proposed.

With clear directions across multiple departments, the CM's meeting marked a renewed push for accountability, fairness, and efficiency in governance. (ANI)