Bangalore: The Congress-JD-S (Janata Dal-Secular) coalition Government in Karnataka today (Jun 11, 2004) pledged to give a "people oriented" and "unostentatious" administration and to empower farmers and villagers to "govern themselves".

Outlining broad contours of the State's first-ever coalition ministry's priorities in his address to the joint session of the legislature, Governor T N Chaturvedi promised steps for more jobs to educated youth in secondary cities, fiscal discipline and making Karnataka investor-friendly.

Acknowledging that, for the first time, the voters of Karnataka had not given any party a majority, he said this had resulted in the "like-minded parties" like the Congress and JD-S forming a coalition Government.

Elections 2004-Where is India heading...
Political Parties in India

"My Government is determined to give a people-oriented, transparent, unostentatious, sincere and honest administration," he told the first joint session after the Assembly polls which gave a fractured verdict, with the single largest party, BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party), occupying almost the entire Opposition space after Congress and JD-S joined hands.

Seeking to give a pro-farmer image, Chaturvedi said, "My Government's aim is to empower the farmers and villagers of Karnataka to govern themselves."

In his address, which mostly dwelt on the ongoing programmes, the Governor said that the Government was determined to find a long-term solution to the problem of recurring drought, which had put the farmers under "tremendous stress" for the last three years.