Karnataka government appoints nodal officers to fast-track CSR-funded public schools

The Karnataka government appointed nodal officers to speed up CSR-funded public school projects amid slow progress. CM Siddaramaiah also directed officials to reduce severe child malnutrition by 1% annually and monitor health data.

Bengaluru: The state government on Saturday appointed nodal officers to coordinate and expedite the construction of CSR-funded Karnataka Public Schools, as per a release.

Commissioner for Industrial Development Gunjan Krishna has been appointed as the coordinating officer, and Karnataka State Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation and MD Khushboo G Chowdhary have been appointed as the CEO.

The two officers will work with various corporates to mobilise CSR funds for the Karnataka Public Schools.

The Karnataka Public Schools is a dream project of the DCM to upgrade educational infrastructure in rural schools and provide high quality education to students from rural areas. All the schools would be built with CSR funds from corporates.

The decision to appoint nodal officers was taken in view of the slow progress in setting up 2000 Karnataka Public Schools in the state. The two officers will work to expedite the execution of this project. 

In another move, the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah issued strong instructions to officials across state during a progress review meeting and stated that districts must work to reduce the percentage of severely malnourished children by at least one percent 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.