Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah Orders Suspension of Education Officials Over District's Poor Performance

 Hosapete: In a strict address during the progress review meeting of Vijayanagar district on Friday, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed the suspension of the District Deputy Public Instruction (DDPI) due to the district's poor educational performance.

CM Siddaramaiah, addressing various administrative issues encompassing agriculture, social welfare, and law enforcement, directed his focus on the alarming drop in education performance within the district. Annoyed that the district has fallen from 10th position to 27th position in terms of education in the Human Development Index, the CM questioned the DDPI as to why they should not be held responsible for this.

In a quick move, CM Siddaramaiah dialed Education Department Secretary Ritesh Kumar Singh during the meeting, inquiring him about the dismal educational outcomes in the district. Following this, he swiftly directed the suspension of the DDPI.

He suggested that a notice should be given to the CEO and Block Education Officers (BEOs) and directed to make serious plans for the educational progress of the district. The DDPI was asked to walk out of the meeting by minister-in-charge Zameer Ahmed.

Siddaramaiah also issued a stern warning to agriculture department officials, emphasizing that any shortage of seeds and fertilizers would result in disciplinary action.

He insisted that a second round of seeds must be distributed if the initial seeds fail to germinate.

Deputy Commissioner M.S. Diwakara reported that crop surveys were conducted scientifically and funds were fairly disbursed to farmers via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).

The officials briefed the Chief Minister about the 34 farmer suicides in 2023-24 and three suicides in the current year.

The CM questioned whether compensation had been provided to the affected families and expressed dissatisfaction with the delays in disbursing compensation in five cases due to pending Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) reports. Siddaramaiah directed officials to obtain the FSL reports within 20 days to expedite the compensation process.

The meeting also addressed the issue of 52 malfunctioning drinking water units, with the CM instructing officials to rectify these problems promptly.

Regarding sanitation, Siddaramaiah questioned why the district was declared open defecation free despite the existence of households without toilets. He directed officers to conduct a door-to-door survey through Panchayat Development Officers (PDOs) and ensure the construction of remaining toilets before the next Karnataka Development Programme (KDP) meeting.

The CM stressed on the importance of visiting the Social Welfare Department hostels and conducting regular inspection of the quality of educational environment and food. He also asked why the educational progress of the hostel students of the district is less compared to the state average. He checked on whether separate coaching classes have been arranged for the improvement. He asked why the problem remains despite regular inspection from the officers.