Addressing the gathering at the 119th birth anniversary celebrations of Dr B R Ambedkar organised by the State government at Vidhana Soudha, he said: “The government will take the responsibility to construct houses for homeless dalits and will also ensure that all beneficiary schemes reach them.”

He also announced that Babu Jagajivan Ram memorials will be constructed in10 districts at the cost of Rs two crore each.
Yeddyurappa added that the government will issue a circular making it mandatory to celebrate Ambedkar Jayanthi from the gram-panchayat level to the state-level.

Rains play spoilsport

Confusion marred the celebrations of Dr B R Ambedkar organised by the State government in front of Vidhana Soudha following heavy rains that lashed the City on Wednesday evening.

As clouds opened up before the commencement of the event, the function was official called off and an announcement was made that it would be held on a later date. The audience, who had assembled outside Vidhana Soudha, made a mad scramble to seek shelter. They were finally allowed inside after they started shouting slogans.

After a majority of the audience had left the venue and just when the Vidhana Soudha staff started locking gates, Chief Minister Yeddyurappa made an appearance and decided to shift the function to the Banquet Hall.

Protest

Earlier in the day, a group of youth shouted slogans opposing the shifting of the Ambedkar statue in front of Vidhana Soudha for Metro rail work. Speaking to reporters, Yeddyurappa said the statue will be temporarily shifted to make way for the Metro work and will be reinstalled after the work is complete.