No govt funds for Rajyotsava: Kannada forums are peeved

BELAGAVI: Pro-Kannada organisations are all set to celebrate Rajyotsava this time in Belagavi on November 1 after a gap of three years.
Rajyotsava celebrations are always big in Belagavi, but due to the severe flooding after the outbreak of Covid-19, it was a low-key affair in the previous three years.
Adding the celebrations, Chandrashekhar Shivacharya Swamiji of Hukkeri Gurushanteshwar Mutt has announced that food, sweet chapati, would be distributed to 50,000 youths participating in the celebrations.
The seer had also arranged for Holige food in 2018 too.
Besides, the Belagavi City Corporation had distributed 10,000 laddus. This apart, hotels and restaurants have announced a 25% rebate on all food items.
In 2019, the Kannada organisations decided to keep the Rajyotsava celebrations low-key after severe flooding that affected lakhs of lives in the district. Thirty-two people died and property damage of thousands of crores of rupees was reported. In 2020 and 2021, Covid-19 restrictions dimmed the celebrations.
This year, the yearning for celebration seems to be at its peak. The district administration has said that special prayers and puja will be held in all temples, churches, mosques, gurdwaras, Jain basadis and Buddha temples across the district.
The pro-Kannada organisations are, however, upset that the state government has not released funds for the celebrations.
“We have demanded funds for Rajyotsava celebrations for many years, especially for Belagavi, but in vain. We proposed a grant of Rs 1 crore. Even the district administration moved the proposal to the government but there is no positive reply so far. Instead, the government has sanctioned Rs 1.75 crore for Kannada organisations in Bengaluru to celebrate the Rajyotsava,” Ashok Chandaragi, the president of the Belagavi Kannada Sanghatanegala Kriya Samiti, said.