Bommai announces project to upgrade residential Karnataka schools

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday announced a special programme to upgrade residential schools for SC, ST, OBC and minority children to bring them up to CBSE standards.

Bommai said this at an event to mark the 106th birth anniversary of former chief minister D Devaraj Urs.

Karnataka has some 800 residential schools catering to students from various social groups.

“We have invested a lot in these schools for infrastructure. There’s a need to give them a qualitative upgrade. We need to create opportunities not only for higher education, but also international education. So, we’re coming out with a special programme for this,” Bommai said.

“Karnataka started Adarsha Vidyalayas that are respected by CBSE. We want to create a system [in residential schools] that is of CBSE standards,” he said.

The state government will also start three new residential schools for children belonging to nomadic tribes this year, Bommai said. “There are already four schools and a corporation. Of the four schools, two don’t have their own buildings. For that, we’re giving Rs 6 crore each. We will also take decisions to safeguard the unique nomadic cultures,” he said.

Bommai added that his government would work on three Es for the development of the poor and downtrodden - education, employment and empowerment.

Earlier in the day, Bommai paid tributes to Urs by garlanding his portrait. As is the ritual, a vintage 1968 Mercedes-Benz that Urs used was brought to Vidhana Soudha on the occasion. The car was given to the state government in 1973 by the then PM Indira Gandhi and Urs used it as the CM till 1980.

Bommai recalled Urs’ contributions to Karnataka, especially his “revolutionary” land reforms, hydroelectric power projects and irrigation. “I first saw Urs in 1978. He had a towering personality and a wrestler’s guts, which was much needed at the time,” Bommai said.

Bommai said several programmes started by Urs were still running. “Every year, we give away scholarships to students worth Rs 625 crore,” he pointed out.

On the occasion, the state government gave away the D Devaraj Urs awards for 2021-22, 2020-21 and 2019-20. The awardees are tribal rights activist K Bhaskar Das, women’s welfare worker SG Susheelamma and pro bono lawyer Basavaprabhu Patil.