Inequality in society must be eradicated: CM

He inaugurates BIMS Super Speciality Hospital

Belagavi: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Saturday stressed the need to eliminate inequality in society by empowering weaker sections both socially and economically. He highlighted the government’s commitment to ensuring education and justice for all classes by providing opportunities previously denied to marginalised communities.

He was speaking after inaugurating the Belagavi Institute of Medical Sciences (BIMS) Super Speciality Hospital, laying the foundation stone for the house surgeons’ building, inaugurating the City Bus Terminus constructed under the Smart City project, and laying the foundation for new buildings at Rani Channamma University, at Hirebagewadi in Belagavi.

The university expansion is part of the Prime Minister’s USHA-MERU Scheme.

‘Justice for all’

“True equality cannot exist where inequality persists,” the CM said, underlining the government’s focus on the social and economic development of lower-income groups. Citing revered leaders such as Gautam Buddha, Lord Basaveshwara, Dr B R Ambedkar, and Mahatma Gandhi, he emphasised their vision that the last person in society should receive justice.

To support this vision, Siddaramaiah outlined the government’s efforts to establish medical colleges and super-speciality hospitals in all districts, aiming to provide quality medical education and treatment comparable to private hospitals, especially for students and patients from poor and rural backgrounds.

He recalled laying the foundation stone for the BIMS Super Speciality Hospital in 2017 during his previous term, lamenting that subsequent governments led by H D Kumaraswamy, B S Yediyurappa, and Basavaraj Bommai had left the project incomplete. “Upon returning to power, we not only completed the construction but also equipped the hospital fully,” he said.

The CM also thanked KLE Society Chairman Prabhakar Kore for providing super specialist doctors from KLES Dr Prabhakar Kore Hospital to serve patients until government posts are filled.

Siddaramaiah urged people, especially the poor who rely on government hospitals, to avail advantage of the super-speciality healthcare facilities. He also highlighted the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, which allocates funds for medical treatment of the poor in private hospitals.

100 new electric buses

Addressing transport infrastructure, the CM announced that 100 new electric buses will soon be deployed in Belagavi. He inaugurated the new City Bus Terminus, developed under the Smart City project with shared funding between the Central and State governments.

The Chief Minister also highlighted several welfare schemes, the Shakti Scheme, which has enabled women to travel free on buses; the Gruha Laxmi Scheme, providing Rs 2,000 monthly support to 1.25 crore women heads of families; the Gruha Jyoti Schme, supplying free electricity up to 200 units to 1.64 lakh families; and the Yuva Nidhi Scheme, which benefits unemployed graduates and diploma holders.

Higher education for women

“Education empowers individuals and helps tackle unemployment. Women from all sections of society must have access to higher education. Even after 78 years of independence, we have yet to achieve full literacy,” he remarked.

Public Works Department and District Incharge Minister Satish Jarkiholi, Medical Education Minister Dr Sharan Prakash Patil, Women and Child Welfare Minister Laxmi Hebbalkar, Higher Education Minister Dr M C Sudhakar and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy spoke. MLA Asif Sait presided over the function.