Bengaluru, 4 October

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Sunday urged people from the Coastal and Malnad regions to build businesses in their hometowns instead of migrating elsewhere for jobs, saying the government’s new tourism policy would support local entrepreneurship.

Speaking at the Kail Muhurat Jambara 2026 event organised by the Kodagu Gowda Samaja in Ullal, Bengaluru, Shivakumar said the special tourism policy for the Coastal and Malnad regions would leverage their natural resources, heritage and culture.

“Rather than going outside for employment, build businesses right at your doorstep,” he said, adding that loan repayment periods for tourism ventures could be extended from five-six years to up to 20 years.

He said the government planned to utilise Karnataka’s 327-km coastline for tourism and would soon meet entrepreneurs in Mangaluru. The Cabinet has also decided to allot 10 acres in Mangaluru to the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams for a Venkataramana temple.

Calling Kodagu the “Kashmir of Karnataka”, Shivakumar highlighted its history, culture and connection with the Cauvery. He said he had decided to hold the Cauvery Aarti annually during Dasara and urged people to preserve their heritage.

He described MLAs A S Ponnanna and Manthar Gowda as the “two eyes” of Kodagu and urged people to support them. He also asked people to protect their voting rights amid the ongoing electoral-roll revision, saying genuine voters should not be removed.

“Your right to vote is the right to life; it is the power granted by the Constitution,” he said.

On Dasara, Shivakumar said the government planned to include personnel from the Army, Air Force and Navy in the procession, along with artists and representatives of different communities.

He said ambassadors and other state chief ministers had been invited to the celebrations and assured the gathering: “I am with you; stand with us.”