Kalaburagi, 17 Sept

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Wednesday, on Kalyana Karnataka Liberation Day, announced a Rs 70,000 crore investment in irrigation projects and the setting up of a Kalyana Karnataka Secretariat in Kalaburagi.

He paid tribute to the freedom fighters who helped integrate Hyderabad-Karnataka into the Indian Union, recalling the atrocities under the Nizam and the role of leaders like Nehru and Sardar Patel.

Since Article 371-J was introduced in 2013, 84,620 of 1,19,923 posts identified for direct recruitment have been filled, with the remaining vacancies to be addressed in phases.

For 2025–26, Rs 5,000 crore has been allocated to the Kalyana Karnataka Region Development Board. Over Rs 14,000 crore has already been spent on 41,103 projects, with more than 32,000 completed.

The CM also highlighted welfare schemes: Shakti has provided free bus travel to 77.6 crore women, Gruha Lakshmi has benefitted 24.78 lakh women heads of households, Anna Bhagya has spent over Rs 3,200 crore, and Yuva Nidhi has supported 5.75 lakh unemployed graduates and diploma holders.

Regarding irrigation, Phase III of the Krishna Upper Canal Project has been approved, and the Almatti Dam will be raised, providing water to over 15 lakh acres in Raichur, Yadgir, Kalaburagi, and Koppal.

Siddaramaiah concluded by emphasising that Karnataka’s development is incomplete without Kalyana Karnataka, urging citizens to work together for a “new India and a new Karnataka.”