Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday promised to sanction Rs 2.30 crore for the development of Spoorthi Dhama on Magadi Road, which works for the welfare of the downtrodden.

Speaking at the commemoration of Buddha Jayanthi and unveiling of a Babasaheb Ambedkar statue here on the outskirts of the city, the chief minister said there was a need to preach the ideals of the Buddha, Basava, Ambedkar and Mahatma Gandhi to the younger generation.

“Religion should help nurture human values and not develop hatred towards other religious beliefs. Caste discrimination, unequal social status and ‘made snana’ rituals, among others, are being practised in the name of religion, which is wrong,” he said. Power should be equally distributed based on love and trust, he added. In a separate programme organised to commemorate Buddha Jayanti in Boudha Samaja, Minister for Small Scale Industries, Satish Jarkiholi, said the ideals of Ambedkar were not considered important even now. Buddha is revered more in the West and other foreign countries than in India, he said.

Writer C S Dwarakanath said Ambedkar had become limited only to the reservation cause, while he spoke against all kinds of inequality.