The Hindu : Karnataka News : State to name four for Bharat Ratna

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 05, 2004

Karnataka

Karnataka

State to name four for Bharat Ratna

By Our Special Correspondent

The Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, at the samadi of Siddarameshwar Mahaswamigalu at Jidga Math on Monday. The Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, K.H. Muniyappa (extreme left), and the Minister for Water Resources, M. Mallikarj un Kharge, are seen.

GULBARGA, OCT 4. The State Government has decided to recommend the names of the former Prime Minister P.V. Narasimha Rao; the former Chief Minister, the late S. Nijalingappa; the seer of the Siddaganga Math, Shivakumar Swamiji; and the late Swami Ramananda Tirtha for the Bharat Ratna.

Talking to presspersons here, the Chief Minister, N. Dharam Singh, said that a Cabinet subcommittee, which had considered the names to be recommended for the country's top honour, had unanimously recommended these names taking into account their invaluable contribution to society. He said that the subcommittee had also recommended a few other names for other honours, including the freedom fighter V.P. Deolugaonkar for the Padma Shri.

Drought

To a question, the Chief Minister said that although some parts of the State had received rain in the past few days, 49 taluks were reeling under drought and required immediate relief measures. A State Government delegation would present a memorandum to the Union Government after the Bidar Lok Sabha byelection seeking a relief of Rs. 200 crores for tackling the drought in some parts of the State.

Gas pipeline

On the development of Gulbarga, Mr. Singh said the district had been included in the multicrore gas-pipeline project of the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC). Originally the gas pipeline project was limited to Mangalore and Hassan districts, but ONGC had been persuaded to include Gulbarga district in the project by connecting Hyderabad with Gulbarga.

Apart from this, the Power Grid Corporation in its Rs. 10,000-crore project in the State had decided to set up a substation in Gulbarga district and sought sanction of 100 acres for the purpose.

The Centre had already declared the Humnabad-Jewargi State highway and Jewargi-Bijapur State highway National Highways and the State Government had requested the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to declare the Jewargi-Bellary State highway a National Highway. This would provide a National Highway connecting Gulbarga, Bidar and Raichur district with Bangalore.

To another question, Mr. Singh said the State Government had decided to establish government medical colleges in Raichur, Bidar, Belgaum, Mandya and Hassan districts from the next academic year.

Visits Jidga Math

Mr. Singh took some time off from the campaign for the Bidar Lok Sabha byelection in Aland and Kamalapur Assembly segments in Gulbarga district to visit Jidga Math in Aland taluk and pay his respects at the samadi of Siddarameshwar Mahaswamigalu, who was his guru.

After paying his respects at the samadi, he met the present seer of the math, Murugarajendra Swamigalu and sought his blessing.

The Chief Minister was accompanied by the Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, K.H. Muniyappa, and the Water Resources Minister, M. Mallikarjun Kharge.

Later, on his way to Aland, Mr. Singh and the others took a detour to visit the famous Hasrat Khwaja Ladli Mashak Dargah on the outskirts of the town.

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