Bengaluru, July 9 (IANS) Leader of Opposition in the Karnataka Assembly R. Ashoka on Thursday accused the Congress government of failing to implement its budget promise of providing free insulin to children suffering from Type-1 diabetes, alleging that the delay has put the lives of thousands of kids at risk.

In a strongly worded statement, Ashoka said that although the government announced a free insulin scheme for children below the age of 18 suffering from Type-1 diabetes several months ago, it has yet to implement the programme.

Addressing Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, he alleged that the government had made the announcement merely for publicity and failed to translate it into action. He claimed that while the government was spending heavily on self-promotion, poor and middle-class families were struggling to afford insulin, which costs between Rs 2,000 and Rs 5,000 per month.

Ashoka blamed the delay on the alleged negligence of officials of the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL) and delays in the tender process. He questioned whether the Chief Minister had control over his ministers, officials and the administration, stating that the government’s failure had stalled the implementation of the scheme.

The BJP leader claimed that more than 7,000 children with Type-1 diabetes across Karnataka were awaiting free insulin. He alleged that many economically weaker families were being forced to reduce insulin doses for their children because they could not afford the treatment, putting their lives at serious risk.

Ashoka further alleged that government-run hospitals, including the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health and KIDS Hospital in Bengaluru, had not received insulin supplies despite treating thousands of registered children. He claimed that some hospitals were forced to rely on non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to meet the demand.

Questioning the government’s commitment to its own budget announcement, Ashoka alleged that administrative inefficiency, delays in the tender process and lack of coordination had prevented the scheme from taking off. He urged the Chief Minister to immediately complete the tender process and begin distributing free insulin to eligible children, warning that any further delay would adversely affect thousands of vulnerable families.

The Leader of Opposition further criticised the Karnataka government over the alleged delay in supplying rice for the mid-day meal programme to students of Classes 9 and 10, claiming that the shortage has persisted even after one-and-a-half months into the new academic year.

Ashoka alleged that the Congress government had failed to supply rice meant for high school students under the mid-day meal scheme, forcing schools to use rice allocated for primary school students (Classes 1 to 8) to prepare meals for students of Classes 9 and 10.

Addressing Chief Minister Shivakumar, Ashoka questioned the government’s ability to ensure food for children studying in government schools. He alleged that the government’s failure to provide adequate supplies had affected poor and middle-class students who depend on the midday meal scheme.

The BJP leader further alleged that despite the Finance Department granting approval and the Principal Secretary of the School Education Department writing to the authorities on June 15, the Commissioner of the Education Department had not taken effective steps to ensure timely procurement and distribution of rice.

Ashoka also claimed that the state government had failed to plan in advance, despite knowing that procuring and transporting rice would take at least 15 days. He alleged that officials themselves had expressed doubts over whether fresh stocks of rice would reach high schools before the end of July.

He further claimed that the rice stock meant for primary school students was being diverted to feed senior students, raising concerns that supplies for younger children could also be exhausted if the situation continued.

Recalling last year’s controversy over the alleged supply of poor-quality tur dal under the mid-day meal programme, Ashoka accused the government of once again failing to ensure adequate food supplies for schoolchildren. He urged the Chief Minister to immediately take steps to supply rice to high schools and ensure that the mid-day meal programme functions without disruption.

–IANS

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