BELAGAVI, 17 JAN

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah asked Maharashtra to not implement its Mahatma Jyotiba Phule Jan Arogya Yojana (health insurance scheme) in the 865 border villages in Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah speaking in Sangolli village of Bailahongal Taluk in Belagavi said that the Chief Secretary of Karnataka had spoken to his Maharashtra counterpart to stop the implementation. 

The villages in dispute include Nipani, Balki, Bidar, and Belagavi (earlier known as Belgaum). In 2022, the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to "legally pursue" the inclusion of 865 Marathi-speaking villages of Karnataka in Maharashtra. State Legislative Assembly had also passed a resolution saying that it would not let Maharashtra take its land.

Siddaramaiah was in Belagavi to inaugurate Sangolli Rayanna Sainik School and Rock Garden.. 

Speaking at the school inauguration, he said, 65 per cent of the school seats will be allocated for Kannadigas. “Actions have been initiated to allocate 35 per cent of the seats to people of other states. People who join this school will also have a better opportunity to join the Army. The school aims at providing quality education and imbibing patriotism in the children,” he said. 

Responding to former MLA and his son Dr Yathindra Siddaramaiah’s remarks that he would remain the Chief Minister for five years, he said, “The party will decide the length of my tenure.” -Salar News