Bengaluru, Feb 25 (NationPress) Karnataka's Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has promised that the Congress-led administration is diligently striving to address vacant positions in a transparent and scam-free manner.

He encouraged the youth to maintain their confidence, stating that the government is fully committed to tackling their concerns.

“The Congress government is focused on filling vacant positions without any scandals. The youth should stay optimistic. We are here to tackle your issues. This will be discussed in the upcoming Cabinet meeting, and we will communicate updates promptly. We have already filled some positions and will continue this process,” Shivakumar mentioned.

This statement was made while he was addressing media inquiries near the Jawaharlal Nehru Planetarium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.

When questioned about the protests by youth in Dharwad demanding recruitment for government roles, he replied, “During the BJP's tenure, they failed to fill vacant roles, and several scams occurred. We empathize with the youth. Our government prioritizes filling these vacancies.”

“We have devised a recruitment strategy. Agencies such as the Karnataka Public Service Commission are tasked with filling these roles. Recruitment is currently ongoing in the education and health sectors. Although some challenges related to internal reservations exist, we have also initiated the Yuvanidhi scheme to empower unemployed youth,” he added.

On the topic of expanding the Bengaluru Metro Railway Corporation Limited (BMRCL) network to 175 kilometers by 2027, Shivakumar stated, “We are conducting the necessary surveys. We will honor our commitments regarding Metro expansion. I will be meeting with the Union Minister soon to clarify the double-decker project. Our goal is to enhance the Metro network for the public's benefit, which is a crucial objective of our government.”

Regarding the backlog of pending bills across various departments, he noted, “Under the previous administrations of Chief Ministers B.S. Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, numerous projects were approved without a thorough financial assessment, leading to the current predicament. We advised contractors against taking on projects due to financial constraints, but some proceeded and now face challenges.”

He also mentioned that he would engage with contractors planning protests against the government.

Notably, thousands of students, along with members of the All Karnataka State Student Association (AKSSA) and unemployed youth, organized a significant protest in Dharwad on Tuesday, demanding the Karnataka government to promptly fill vacant roles across various state departments.

The BJP has also called for protests in support of the unemployed youth, thereby increasing pressure on the Karnataka government.

Opposition Leader R. Ashoka commented on the protests, asserting that the state government has failed to address unemployment despite having the authorization to fill thousands of vacant roles.

He stated that over 250,000 government positions are currently unfilled in Karnataka, and the finance department had approved recruitment for 65,000 positions nearly six months ago, yet no interviews have been conducted thus far.