In 4th yr, Krishna sights ‘e-divide’

When Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna video-conferenced with people from a village near Bellary on Tuesday, he began an exercise —...

int(3)

When Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna video-conferenced with people from a village near Bellary on Tuesday, he began an exercise — Janspandana — to bridge the digital divide between his high-tech image and the state’s rural masses.

Into the fourth year of his tenure, Krishna will hold weekly conferences with the people from rural areas across the state from his home office. Talking about it after his hour-long interaction with people from Genihal village, Krishna said this will help people communicate directly with him.

Genihal village is located 43 km from Bellary in the Kurugod Assembly constituency from where AICC president Sonia Gandhi was once elected.

Story continues below this ad

Calling the video-conferencing satisfactory, Krishna said the medium was a means to augment interpersonal communication and will not replace the face-to-face janatadarshan that he conducts at his home office at regular intervals. ‘‘This is like watching a movie star,’’ he said, adding ‘‘only time will tell how successful this initiative has been’’.

A wide cross-section of people asked the CM questions on issues concerning their lives. They demanded, among other things, taluk status for the village, water for irrigation, primary and high schools, a playground, computers, Ashraya homes, loans/subsidies for farmers and women, a farmers’ market and primary healthcare.

Krishna has promised to appoint a special tehsildar for the village since a taluk status cannot be granted due to the process of delimitation of constituencies which is currently on. He later said that the assurances he gave on Tuesday would be reviewed periodically to see that they are fulfilled.

Krishna was assisted by bureaucrats and ministers hailing from Bellary district including M.Y. Ghorpade, Diwakar Babu and MLC K.C. Kondaiah. At the Bellary end, Kurugod MLA and former KPCC president Allum Veerabhadrappa was present.