The Hindu : Front Page : Suvarna Karnataka: focus on housing, poverty alleviation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 02, 2006
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Suvarna Karnataka: focus on housing, poverty alleviation

Bangalore Bureau

Protests in north Karnataka districts; holiday today for schools in Bangalore

CULTURAL PARADE: Schoolgirls performing during the cultural show at the Suvarna Karnataka celebrations in Bangalore on Wednesday. — Photo: K. Bhagya Prakash

BANGALORE: Chief Minister H. D. Kumaraswamy has said that the Government will make provisions to launch comprehensive programmes in the next budget to address the housing problem and for poverty alleviation.

He was addressing a gathering estimated at over 35,000 after launching the yearlong Suvarna Karnataka celebrations and presenting the Ekikarana and Rajyotsava awards at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Wednesday.

He said he had been touring the State and visiting remote villages. He had observed that lack of housing, coupled with poverty, was the biggest problem facing the State, particularly in rural areas. Referring to the issue of regional imbalances, Mr. Kumaraswamy said the Government had decided to translate the dreams of those who fought for the unification (ekikarana) of the State into a reality.

The time had come to think of what the State could do for development with an emphasis on north Karnataka, he said.

The State would not tolerate its independent identity being threatened, he said, in an oblique reference to the recent developments over Belgaum.

As desired by Kannadigas, the Government had decided to change the anglicised names of many cities and towns, the Chief Minister said. The names, among others, of Bangalore, Mysore, Mangalore, Hospet, Bellary, Shimoga, Belgaum, Gulbarga and Hubli would be changed to Bengaluru, Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hosapete, Ballary, Shivamogga, Belagavi, Kalburgi and Hubballi, respectively, once the process was completed, he said.

He announced that the Government had selected the octogenarian poet G.S. Shivarudrappa for the prestigious Rashtrakavi honour. The former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda did not attend the event.

Party spokesperson Y.S.V. Datta, MLC, read out his speech, in which Mr. Gowda congratulated the Government and the Opposition for exhibiting the political will in holding a legislature session in Belgaum. Mr. Gowda applauded the Government's decision to introduce English from the first standard in the interest of rural children.

Deputy Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa spoke. Governor T.N. Chaturvedi presided over the function.

Protests staged

In many of the northern districts such as Gulbarga, Bidar, Raichur and Belgaum, however, peoples' organisations held black-flag demonstrations to highlight the historical economic and developmental neglect of the region by successive State governments. The Hyderabad Karnataka Horata Samiti, which, under the leadership of the Chincholi MLA and former Minister, Vaijnath Patil, has been fighting for greater attention to the needs of the people of the region, staged black flag demonstrations in Gulbarga and Raichur. In Mysore, the noted litterateur D. Javare Gowda staged a daylong dharna demanding that classical status be accorded to Kannada. In Belgaum, the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti took out a procession and staged a demonstration.

Holiday

The Government has announced a holiday for all schools in Bangalore on Thursday.

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