Rs 1.5 cr to provide nutritious food to Koragas, Malekudiyas

The state government has released Rs 1.5 crore to provide nutritious food for the people belonging to Koraga and Malekudiya communities, Forest, Environment, Ecology and District In-Charge Minister B Ramanath Rai said.

He was delivering the Kannada Rajyotsava Day address after hoisting the national flag at Nehru Maidan in Mangaluru on Wednesday.

Rai said the funds are meant for the deprived families from the backward Koraga and Malekudiya communities, that are deprived of nutritional food during the rainy season.

He said that 27,448 beneficiaries have been identified for the Mathru Poorna scheme which is meant to provide nutritious food for pregnant and puerperal women.

A sum of Rs 43 crore and Rs 63 lakh grant has been earmarked for the district towards the ambitious programme 'Anna Bhagya' of the state government this year. A total of 25,775 applications have been received towards BPL cards and 19,468 applications are under scrutiny. The distribution of cards is in progress, he said.

Alur remembered

Rai recalled the contributions of Kannada doyen Aluru Venkata Rao who started the unification movement. The state was renamed as Karnataka on November 1, 1973, the minister said.

State Government's Chief Whip in Legislative Council Ivan D'Souza, Mangaluru taluk panchayat president Muhammed Monu, Karnataka Cashew Development Corporation chairman B H Khader, Mayor Kavita Sanil, deputy mayor Rajanish, zilla panchayat standing committee president Shahul Hamid, corporators Shashidhar Hegde and Pratibha Kulai, deputy commissioner Sasikant Senthil, additional deputy commissioner Kumar, police commissioner T R Suresh and SP Sudhir Kumar Reddy were present.

Rajyotsava parade

The parade, led by Commander Vittal Shindhe, RPI, CAR, comprised KSRP platoon, CAR platoon I, CAR Platoon II, Home Guards, Fire Fighting and Emergency Services, Forest Guard, police band and students platoons of NCC Air Wing Senior, NCC Navy Senior, NCC Air Wing Junior, Scout and Guide Sri Satyasai Loka Seva, Alike, Bharata Seva Dal Girls Senior, Guide-Girls Junior, RSP Girls' Platoon and Music band of Government High School, Balmatta.

A cultural procession was taken out from Dr B R Ambedkar Circle to Nehru Maidan, prior to the formal function. Writer Sara Aboobakar inaugurated the procession. A vehicle that carried the portrait of Kannada Bhuvaneshwari was in the lead.

Tableaux from various government departments took part. Folk art troupes were also part of the procession. Cultural programmes were held in Town Hall in the afternoon.

GP flayed

The villagers of Shibaje in Uppinangady charged that the gram panchayat did not hoist the flag as part of Kannada Rajyotsava.

The issue has gone viral in social media.