Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has appointed Basavaraj Rayareddy, a party MLA, as his economic advisor with a cabinet rank status on Friday (29 December 2023).
Additionally, R V Deshpande, a Congress MLA, has been appointed as the Chairperson of the State Administrative Reforms Commission, also with a cabinet ranking. Furthermore, BR Patil has been appointed as an advisor to the Chief Minister, and both Deshpande and Patil will enjoy the cabinet rank status as well.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah stated that Rayareddy has extensive knowledge in the finance sector and expressed confidence that the Gruha Lakshmi scheme will benefit all residents of Karnataka.
In advance, the Chief Minister announced plans to organize a job fair in Bengaluru in the last week of January. A team of ministers, including Industry Minister MB Patil, IT, BT and Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge, Skill Development and Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil, Higher Education Minister MC Sudhakar, Youth Empowerment and Scheduled Tribes Welfare Minister B Nagendra, Labour Minister Santosh Lad, and Health Minister Dinesh Gundurao, has been formed.
The Chief Minister emphasized the importance of bridging the gap between the skills of job seekers and the needs of the industries and instructed the group of ministers to engage in discussions with industries and provide recommendations for long-term programs.