Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday announced that a high-powered committee led by a renowned economist would be constituted to study the status of backward taluks in the State.

“I am going to constitute a high-powered committee headed by a known economist of the State,” Siddaramaiah said during a discussion in the Karnataka Assembly on the development of north Karnataka.

BJP MLA from Vijayapura, Basanagouda Patil Yatnal welcomed the decision but asked the Chief Minister to set a deadline to the panel to furnish the report.

In response, the Chief Minister said it will be asked to submit its report in six months

Siddaramaiah said a panel headed by renowned economist D M Nanjundappa had in 2002-03 recommended that the 114 backward taluks should be given funds to the tune of Rs 31,000 crore.

While Rs 2,000 crore a year should be given as special grants for eight years, the remaining Rs 15,000 crore should be raised from the state budget to end disparity with other taluks, the Nandjundappa panel had recommended. “But the recommendation came into effect only in 2007-08”, he added.

The amount of Rs 31,000 crore could not be spent on these taluks by the end of 2014-15, the Chief Minister rued.

He added that Dharwad-based Centre for Multi-disciplinary Development Research (CMDR) too had given its report on the backward taluks and its findings were no different from the one given by the Nanjundappa committee.

According to Siddaramaiah, funds to the tune of Rs 46,453.96 crore were allocated for the development of backward taluks from 2007-08 till date, out of which only Rs 32,433 crore had been spent.