CM announces separate secretariat for Kalyana-K'taka

NT Correspondent

Kalaburagi

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday confirmed that the Kalyana-Karnataka region would get its separate secretariat. The region, which is considered historically lagging behind, is also the beneficiary of the Kalyana-Karnataka Regional Development Corporation (KKRDC) and had received Rs 5,000 crore in allocations in the 2024-24 Budget. The CM made the comments at the Kalaburagi airport on Sunday.

“We intend to form a separate secretariat for the Kalyana-Karnataka region. I had spoken about this on Hyderabad-Karnataka Liberation Day (September 17),” Siddaramaiah said, adding that the demand had been pending for many years and the same needed to be addressed. A similar assurance had been made by then CM BS Yediyurappa on September 17, 2019. However, the separate secretariat promise has remained on paper.

New Jayadeva Hospital inaugurated: Siddaramaiah had been in town to inaugurate the new Jayadeva Cardiac Hospital in Kalaburagi. The facility was built with KKRDB funds at a cost of Rs 327.17 crore. It will have 371 beds and would be the second Jayadeva hospital after the original one in Bengaluru and the second one in Mysuru. The CM had high praise for All India Congress Committee (AICC) president Mallikarjun Kharge who fought for the Kalyana-Karnataka region to be granted special status by way of article 371 J.

Kharge, who was in attendance, demanded that a National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (NIMHANS) and diabetology unit be set up in Kalaburagi, to which Siddaramaiah responded positively. He notified Medical Education Minister Sharanprakash Patil to have a look into the demand for a NIMHANS in Kalaburagi and his home-town of Mysuru. It is to be noted that Kharge is a two-time Kalaburagi MP.

Anubhav Mantap soon: Siddu

Siddaramaiah assured that necessary funds had been released for the establishment of the Anubhav Mantap building at Tipranth village of Basavakalyan taluk in Bidar district, adding that half the structure was complete. The original Anubhav Mantap was held at the same location in the 12th century.

The founder of the Lingayat religion Basavanna had preached his radical anti-caste and humanist message there. His “sharanas” or followers such as Allama Prabhu and Akkamahadevi were also in attendance for the same.