Amid row with Maharashtra, Karnataka CM pledges Rs 100 cr for Border Development Authority

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Announcing that Rs 100 crore will be released to the Karnataka Border Areas Development Authority before March 31, Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Thursday said there was an urgent need to take up development in the areas of education, industry, infrastructure, and for promoting Kannada.

The CM directed the authorities concerned to prepare action plans on these fronts.

Speaking at an event to present the 'Gadinaada Chetana', a state-level award on behalf of Karnataka Border Areas Development Authority, here on Thursday, the CM said, "Already, Rs 25 crore has been released to the authority and another Rs 100 crore will be allocated in the next Budget. Issues of people residing in border areas must also addressed and resolved and so should those of Kannadigas living across the border."

Bommai said as chief minister, it was his duty to protect, patronage, and realise the dreams of people living in the border areas.

Also Read: I want solution of border row with Karnataka, not politicise issue: Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde

"Firstly, we must focus on the development of the Kannadigas in those places. The Kannadigas in the border areas will not be neglected and the government was providing all necessary infrastructure to Kannadigas in the border areas, giving them opportunities and a bright future. Earlier, the Border Areas Development Authority would only get Rs 8 crore to Rs 10 crore," he said.

Amid the ongoing tussle with neighbouring Maharashtra over disputed border villages, the Karnataka CM said whenever regions are created on a linguistic lines, differences are bound to crop up. However, it was important to forget all the differences and live cordially, he said, adding, however, that for many Kannadigas in the border areas, that did not happen.

"People speak to me affectionately whenever I visit the border areas. At a time when people were living cordially in the border areas, dragging such disputes for long would neither be good for the state or the country. This needs to be understood by one and all," the CM said.

"Kannada is a rich language and has a bright future. No one needs to panic and Kannada does not need government safeguards. The Kannada language has brought us the maximum Jnanapith awards. It has been winning the Jnanapith award despite strong competition from other languages. The Jnanpith is awarded on merit as some great literature, vachanas, and Dasa Sahitya vie for it. People's literature is the best literature and I believe our literary works should be conveyed to people in the simplest language or else they will read like a dictionary. We don't want dictionary literature but one which is easily understood by the people. If Kannada has survived and prospered, it is because of our litterateurs," he added.

He said he was happy that the annual souvenir, 'Avva' was being brought out in the name of his mother. Through this, the world's best prose, poems, and stories on mothers will be published, he said, adding that at a time when the world was becoming smaller through the davancement of tech, the Kannada language must reign supreme.

"The administrators during pre and post-independence India supported the Kannada Ekikaran movement. At that time, our literature had played a pivotal role. Our government would provide all assistance and grants for more work in this direction," he said.

Jnanpith awardee Dr. Chandrashekar Kambar, Karnataka Border Areas Development Authority Chairman Dr.C.Somashekar, M.S.Sindhur, former minister Leeladevi R.Prasad, and Ashok Chandargi also attended the event.

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