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