Maratha Development Corporation is now official

BJP-ruled Karnataka has issued a formal order establishing the Maratha Development Corporation.

The order, issued by the Backward Classes Welfare department, states that the corporation will work for the 'financial, social, educational and religious' development of the Maratha community who are 'significant in number'.

The government order came after the Cabinet recently approved the establishment of the Maratha corporation as opposed to the Maratha ‘authority’ that was announced initially.

The decision to set up a body for the Maratha community was seen as a move to woo them ahead of the Belagavi Lok Sabha, Maski and Basavakalyan assembly bypolls, which are yet to be announced.

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has ordered allocation of Rs 50 crore for the Maratha corporation, which has irked pro-Kannada groups that have called for a statewide bandh on December 5.

The government has also appointed directors for the new Veerashaiva-Lingayat Development Corporation, which is chaired by Yediyurappa’s aide BS Paramashivaiah.

The new directors are: Veeranna Charantimath, Prabhakar Kore, Halappa Achar, Sogadu Shivanna, Shankar Munenakoppa Patil, UB Banakar, Aravind Bellad, Lingamurthy (Hosadurga), Mahantesh M Patil and Vijayalakshmi Ishwarappa Balekundri.