Shivakumar unveils several initiatives at Kalyana Karnataka Utsav

Chief minister D K Shivakumar on Thursday announced a package of initiatives spanning investment, government recruitment, healthcare, urban infrastructure and tourism for Kalyana Karnataka, including a new regional economy mission and plans for a 30 acre IT park in Kalaburagi.

Speaking at the 79th Kalyana Karnataka Utsav in Kalaburagi, Shivakumar said the government would create the Kalyana Karnataka Economy Mission as a Section 8 company to attract investment and speed up industrial development. A separate Bio Economy Mission will focus on processing and adding value to agricultural produce such as tur dal, Kamalapur bananas, raisins and millets.

The government will also begin a two year campaign against anaemia, with screening, prevention and treatment aimed particularly at pregnant women, adolescents and lactating mothers.

For Kalaburagi city, Shivakumar announced a 30 acre IT park and KRIYA, or Kalaburagi Research, Innovation and Youth Accelerator, to support start-ups, innovation and young entrepreneurs.

The city will also get an AI based CCTV network covering Kalaburagi and taluk headquarters. The system will be used for public safety, crime prevention and traffic management, as well as monitoring civic services including waste management.

A flyover is planned on the ring road along Sedam Road to address traffic congestion. The government is also preparing a detailed project report for a new peripheral ring road. Shivakumar said a lake and recreational park would be developed in the city at a cost of ₹30 crore.

Tourism plans include a pilgrimage circuit linking major religious, historical and Buddhist sites across the region. The proposed circuit will connect Bahmani Fort, Sharanabasaveshwar Temple, Khwaja Bande Nawaz Dargah and Buddha Vihar in Kalaburagi with the Rashtrakuta Fort at Malkhed, the Sannati Buddhist site in Chittapur and the Dattatreya Temple in Ganagapur.

“Ganagapur will be developed in the first phase at a cost of ₹50 crore. A vachana mantapa will be established in Kalaburagi to promote the teachings and vachana tradition of Basavanna among the younger generation,” Shivakumar said.

Sports infrastructure is also part of the plan. Chandrashekhar Patil Stadium in Kalaburagi will be comprehensively redeveloped over two years. “The government will enter into an agreement with the Karnataka State Cricket Association to develop cricket facilities benefiting the entire Kalyana Karnataka region. A ‘Sports City’ will be established at Hadgil Haruti village in Kalaburagi taluk, with indoor and outdoor facilities for various sports,” he said.

The government will run a two year Koti Vriksha campaign across Kalyana Karnataka, with a target of planting and nurturing one crore saplings.

On irrigation, Shivakumar said Karnataka had decided to construct a balancing reservoir for the Tungabhadra dam at Navali in Koppal district. “The decision is taken following discussions involving Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana under the leadership of Union Jal Shakti Minister C R Patil,” he said.

Shivakumar said Kalyana Karnataka had received about ₹25,000 crore in special grants over the past 12 years. Of that allocation, ₹14,000 crore had been spent on 41,103 projects, with 32,985 completed and 8,118 still under way, he said.

Employment formed another part of the government’s plans. Shivakumar said 79,383 young people from the region had secured jobs through initiatives linked to Article 371(J). “We have initiated the process for recruiting for around 72,000 government posts, of which 32,000 posts would be available to candidates from Kalyana Karnataka,” he said.

The government also plans to develop the region as a healthcare hub, with super speciality hospitals proposed in Yadgir, Koppal and Bidar. Shivakumar said ₹423 crore was being spent to strengthen healthcare facilities, including services at the Indira Gandhi Mother and Child Hospital, Kidwai and Jayadeva hospitals.

Under the Kalyana Path programme, ₹1,000 crore has been allocated to improve 1,150 km of rural roads across the region’s 38 Assembly constituencies.

Kalyana Karnataka Liberation Day is observed on September 17 to mark the end of the Nizam’s rule and the region’s integration with the Indian Union in 1948. Before addressing the gathering, Shivakumar paid floral tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel at Timmapur Circle and hoisted the national flag at the Police Parade Ground.