Laxmi Hebbalkar said on Tuesday in Belagavi that a woman Minister will join the State Cabinet soon. She noted that Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar would handle the appointment. Hebbalkar also highlighted her work in Belagavi rural, where she built many school classrooms and developed temples using various government grants.
A woman Minister will join the State Cabinet soon, Laxmi Hebbalkar, Congress MLA and former Minister, said in Belagavi on Tuesday.
The appointment of a woman Minister has taken some time. But Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar would do it soon, she told reporters. But Ms. Hebbalkar refused to answer the question if she would rejoin the Cabinet.
"I will answer the question about a woman joining the Cabinet, but I will not answer this question," she said.
"Please do not continue to ask me this question. I am in a very sensitive position now. Politics is dynamic. Times change, and power is not permanent. I am happy that during my tenure as a Minister, I have done some memorable work. I have served the State, the district and my constituency of Belagavi rural. Now, my energies are focussed on working as an effective legislator," Ms. Hebbalkar said.
She denied allegations that her brother and MLC Channaraj Hattiholi had assaulted two Hescom officers. "They are all lies. My brother and I have always worked for the welfare of the Hescom employees. When some power men died in accidents in the workplace, I have worked hard to get compensation to their family members," she said.
She claimed to have developed 156 temples in her constituency at the cost of ₹150 crore in seven years. "I have got them grants not only from the Endowment Department, but also from irrigation, social welfare and other departments," the Congress MLA said.
Ms. Hebbalkar said 253 government school classrooms were built in her constituency. Five new government schools and four Karnataka Public School are being built here, she said.
I have got the State government to sanction Morarji Desai Residential Schools at Tummaraguddi and Hirebagewadi, a school for the children of laborers, and a CBSE school. My constituency is mostly rural and did not have a degree college. But I have got one sanctioned. I am also taking steps to establish a BSc Nursing college at Mannur village, she said.
She said the State government was releasing around ₹1,000 crore to fill lakes and tanks in the region. I am trying to get additional funds for the development of the Rajahamsagad fort in Yallur. Infrastructure works like construction of bridge-cum-barrages have been undertaken in several villages, she said.