Wednesday, March 15 2006 16:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Bangalore: Six weeks after assuming office, the BJP-JDS coalition government today unveiled its Common Minimum Programme, pledging to remove poverty, initiate steps to better the lives of farmers and build on the 'Bangalore Brand' to make the city a 'good global city'.

Packed with schemes that seek to please all sections, the CMP promised the people that it would work towards all-round development of Karnataka and provide a 'clean, efficient and pro-people' rule under the coalition, christening it the 'Karnataka Development Front' Government.

For the agricultural sector, the CMP said the government would continue with the six per cent interest rate on cooperative loans, set up commodities exchanges to help farmers get 'scientific support price', provide quality power for irrigation pump sets and initiate steps that would prevent suicides by farmers.

The CMP also promised steps to make crop insurance more comprehensive to cover more crops, better roads, drinkingwater, sewage, street lights, toilets, primary education and primary health care for rural areas and to make a concerted attack on poverty through a series of steps, including building three lakh houses for the poor every year.

Affirming that the state would make all efforts to retain its supremacy in the IT and BT sectors, it said that besides improving infrastructure in Bangalore, the cities of Mysore Hassan and Hubli, Mangalore and Gulbarga would be developed as 'alternative IT cities' and a 'technology park' set up in each district.