Ministers attend yoga classes, pooja, lectures

Along with attending lessons pertaining to delivering better administration and achieving development targets, at the Chintan Baithak here, the ministers went down on their knees literally; they began their day with yoga, and ended it with Ganga Pooja on the banks of river Kapila.

The ministers, who were dressed in track suits, baggy trousers, bermudas -and the lone woman minister Shobha Karandlaje, who was dressed in a salwar kameez - began their day at 6.15 am, with a lesson or two in yoga for a fit body and an alert mind.
The ministers went back to the session after a sumptous breakfast, with D V Sadananda Gowda elaborating on the duties of district-in-charge ministers. M C Jayadev, State Sar Sanchalak of RSS, engaged a session on society’s expectations from the current government in the post-lunch session.

The ministers gathered on the banks of river Kapila, well past 7 pm, to offer Ganga Pooja in the presence of Suttur Seer Shivaratri Deshikendra Swamiji. The pooja celebrations went on for about an hour before the ministers went back into the session. About 700 lit diyas were left to float on the waters, with the Chief Minister offering bagina to the river.
Govind Karjol, who squeezed in few minutes to speak to the media, said compensation has been announced to the families of people who died owing to rains in North Karnataka.

The family of the deceased will be given Rs one lakh while people who have lost homes or whose houses have been damaged, will be given Rs 10,000 by the district administration.

Evaluation
In his response to the widespread criticism by opposition parties for holding the 'baithak' in Suttur, Yeddyurappa said he would hold such baithaks every six months to evaluate the performance of his government and take decisions regarding the path ahead. "We will hold baithaks in other religious places too, such as Dharmasthala and Adi Chunchanagiri Mutt.

The Opposition parties need not fret over this. We are not doing anything to harm the soverignity of the state, this is an exercise to achieve better results in terms of administration," he said.